Mako Eyes
by Ruby Dragon Angel
Summary: Based a few months after Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children The old AVALANCE team learns of an old experiment of the Shinra Company when Cloud comes across a young woman who's different from normal humans. Rated for lemon in chapter 15.
1. Prologue: The Fire

Hot, angry flames licked up the walls of the large playroom in the Shinra Orphanage. The terrified screaming of children, none older than five years of age, could be heard over the roaring of the fire. One child, a three year old girl with silvery hair, crawled on all fours, trying to escape. Her nose was filled with the scent of burning wood, leather, and fabric. There was also the smell of burning hair and flesh that mingled with the scents of the burning room. Fear filled the little girl, but instincts that she had been born with went into overdrive; escape. The smoked began to sting her eyes and she began to cough. She stuck her hand into something warm and very wet. Through her tearing eyes, she could see that her hand was in a pile of something that looked very bloody. She scrambled away and continued to search, desperate to get out.

Outside the building, firefighters tried their best to try to put out the flames, but despite all their efforts, the flames seemed to grow, growling with hunger to consume the entire building. Tseng stared up at the building, could hear the screams of the children inside, knowing that the people who did this were going to pay. He looked around as Shinra walked over to him, his young son, Rufus, beside him. Tseng looked at his boss before turning back to the burning building. "I will find those who are responsible for this, sir," he told the president of the Shinra Company.

"Don't bother, Tseng," Shinra said softly, "the people who done this are long gone by now. I wouldn't be surprised if they had locked themselves in that building to prevent punishment for this. Those specimens in there were very important to this company. It's a shame to lose them. But, alas, they were a failure anyway, so maybe it's not too much of a loss." He then looked down at his son and said, "When you take over, son, you must never let people deceive you. Stay firm and have much power, and you can prevent these disasters."

Tseng looked back to the building, sudden anger filling him. Basically, Shinra was saying that those children in there were a failure. He knew that every one of those children in there had been genetically infused with Mako and Jenova cells, making them a complete different species of human, or that was what Shinra had hoped. Tseng knew of the tests that the scientists ran on the children, but there weren't any good results. He felt sadness for the children, whose dying screams could still be heard coming from the building. They weren't even given a chance at life.

Back inside the burning building, the little girl found herself trapped. She sat down and looked around her, eyes wide and frightened. There were less screams than before, meaning that the others were gone. The little girl curled into the fetal position and began to cry. Suddenly, a dark figure came before her and she was shrouded in a cool darkness. She looked up and stared in fear at the creature that stood over her. It looked like a dog that had a crest of hair that went from its forehead to its shoulders. It had red fur and a long, cat-like tail that had a tuff of fire at the end. The creature was huge and the little girl whimpered in fear, afraid that it was going to hurt her. Instead the creature nuzzled her gently and said in a deep, kind voice, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to help you." The little girl looked up at the creature and saw that his eyes were kind. She then wrapped her arms around his neck, crying and shaking fearfully. The creature nuzzled her, giving her comfort. Finally, he said, "Get onto my back. I'm going to get you out of here, little one."

The little girl nodded and climbed onto the creature's back. She gripped on tightly to the creature's neck and buried her face into his crest of hair. The smoke and heat were beginning to get to her and as the world around her began to black out, she heard the creature say, "Don't worry, little one. I'll take care of you."


	2. Chapter 1: The Run In

_Fire, heat and smoke filled the room. She could hear the screaming of the other children as they tried to escape, as they were burned alive. She tried to escape, but the fire was all around her. She tried to breathe, but smoke filled her lungs, her throat and breathing passage scorched by the intense heat. She couldn't see; the smoke was blinding her. And the flames just kept getting hotter…_

Aneilla woke up with a cry, expecting the flames and the heat to be real, but she found herself still in the old warehouse on the outskirts of Midgar. She sighed softly and pushed herself to her feet. The other orphan kids, ages ranging from six to seventeen, were still sleeping, so Aneilla slipped out quietly. She went down to the first floor, where more kids were sleeping. She snuck by these kids as well and finally got outside. Dawn was beginning to break on the horizon and Aneilla could see the tall buildings of Midgar. Her Mako-enhanced, glowing turquoise-blue eyes narrowed slightly as she heard the sounds of the Shinra Company beginning to power up for a new day. Not like they ever slept anyway… She looked up as a helicopter tore past in the sky above and she decided that it was time to get going. She never stayed at the warehouse long. Being twenty-two years old, she was the oldest who roosted in that warehouse for the night. She didn't feel like she belonged among the kids, although she had been an orphan for most of her life; even since the fire.

Aneilla shuddered as she headed towards the city. She didn't have a lot of memories of her young childhood, but the fire at the Shinra Orphanage was one of them. That and all those tests she had been put through when she was old enough to talk and walk. She also knew that she was different than normal humans, and that if Shinra got whiff that she was alive, they would be on her like a hound on a fox. That's why she lived the homeless life, to stay under the radar. She reached the main part of the city and, brushing her long, silvery hair from her face with a hand, she headed towards the center of Midgar. Another day has begun, and she first had to get food, then a job that would give her pay and last her the day.

* * *

"Cloud, you have a delivery to make," Tifa called from the back room.

Cloud looked up from his drink and moaned softly. He had woken up only fifteen minutes ago and hardly gotten into his coffee yet, and now he had to go out._ I demand overtime for going out so damn early in the morning…_ With a sigh, he pushed away from the counter and walked to the back room. He found Tifa standing on a stool, taking down a package from among the many on the shelf. He leaned against the door, waiting patiently as Tifa took down the package and stepped down from the stool. She turned and jumped slightly at the sight of Cloud. Cloud smiled slightly and stepped forward to take the package from Tifa. "Where's it going?" he asked.

"Downtown, at the bakery on Fifths Street. Guy says that he wants it as quickly as possible."

"Well, I'll get it there as quickly as I can," Cloud said, turning out. He walked through the bar and had to hold the package over his head and do a slight spin as Yuffie came tearing in like a bat out of hell. He stared at the ninja and asked, "Where's the fire?"

Yuffie looked at Cloud and, instead of answering his question, she demanded, "I need to see Tifa. Tell me where she is."

Cloud nodded towards the back room. "In there." Then he turned and walked out to where his bike was waiting for him. He mounted Fenrir and, placing the package in front of him, started the bike and pulled out onto the street. He took the back roads to avoid traffic, vehicle and pedestrian alike. He got to the bakery in ten minutes and parked in front of the tiny building that was squashed between a huge printing factory and a thrift shop. Package under his arm, he walked into the bakery.

The warm smell of baking bread and pastry struck him in the face as he walked in. He saw a round, short man with a balding head ordering the younger workers around. Cloud stood at the counter and waited until the man noticed him. The head baker walked over, reminding Cloud of the bobbing head of a pigeon. The man beamed when Cloud handed him the package. The man had him wait as he went to get money for the fee for the delivery, leaving Cloud to stand waiting again. He heard a bell ring and looked around as someone walked through the front door. It was a young woman, with long silver hair and blue eyes. She wore worn clothing that had definitely seen better days and she was quite thin for her height. She looked to be about twenty, but he wasn't quite sure. The woman walked to the counter and stood beside him. She looked and smelt clean, despite her state of dress and physical built. She gave him a slight smile, but kept her eyes downcast. The baker came back and at the sight of the woman his round face broke out into a smile.

"Aneilla," he said cheerfully, "how are you, my dear?"

"I'm fine, Marko," the woman said, her voice soft but steady. The girl reminded Cloud of Aerith, except that the girl seemed tougher in a way, less fragile despite how she looked.

Marko frowned slightly and said, "You don't look too well, dear. Have you been feeling well?"

"I feel fine, just had a rough night, that's all. Anyway, you try living in my condition and looking perfect."

The baker sighed and then he reached under the counter and took out a brown paper bag. "Here you go; fresh from the oven." Then he turned to Cloud and handed him the money. "And sorry for the wait. Thank you for delivering the package."

Cloud nodded and the baker went back to work. Cloud turned to head out, forgetting momentarily about the young woman. He almost ran into her and he stumbled slightly. The woman looked up at him and shock filled Cloud. Mako eyes met Mako eyes for a brief moment before the girl realized what she was looking at. Suddenly she was gone and the only thing that let Cloud know that she went through the door was the tinkling of the bell. Cloud walked out after her, thoughts spinning in his head. He was sure of it; the woman's eyes had the glow of Mako to them. When he got to his bike, he looked around for the girl, but she was no where in sight. Swinging a leg over his bike, he sat down and looked around once more before starting the bike. As he headed back towards the bar, the thoughts continued to real through his head. Who was she, and why did she have Mako in her. Was it possible that she was Soldier? _No, she can't be, _he thought, _her built and the way she ran when she realized that our eyes were the same are proof of that._ As he drove, he caught a glimpse of silvery hair going into an alleyway. Cloud whipped his bike over to the sidewalk, getting a few curses by some pedestrians. He shut off the bike and dismounted quickly. He hurried down the alleyway, hoping that he didn't lose her.

Something came at him from the side and Cloud had just enough time to dodge and roll before his head was kicked off. He looked up and stared at the woman, who was crouched a few feet away, silver hair hanging in her face, eyes glowing brightly. "Are you with _them_?" she snarled.

Cloud slowly stood, holding his hands out slightly in front of him. The quiet girl that he had seen in the bakery had just become a fierce fighter. _Maybe she is Soldier…_ "What do you mean by 'them'?"

"Shinra," the girl spat, reminding Cloud of a scalded cat. "Are you one of those bastards from Shinra?"

Cloud shook his head. "No, I'm not. Never really want anything to do with them, but I guess that if you're linked to them once, there's no getting free…"

"Then why did you follow me, if you're not with them?"

"Your eyes," Cloud said, "They're like mine, and I know that you noticed it too."

The woman's body relaxed slightly and she slowly stood. Despite her appearance, she had the strength and agility of a Soldier. Her movements were graceful and reminded Cloud of a lioness. She stared at him, her eyes filled with a sudden disbelief. "You're… not like me, though. You're different." She looked suddenly sad and then she began to take off again. Cloud moved quickly and grabbed her arm.

"Wait," he said, "what do you mean? Are you a Soldier?"

She looked at him and Cloud saw the anger flare in her eyes again. "I am not," she snapped. "I never worked for Shinra."

Cloud sighed and then asked, "Then what did you mean? Look, if you're running from Shinra, I can help you. Me and my friends… we can protect you from them."

She looked at him and pulled away so quickly that Cloud didn't realize it until he noticed that he was gripping open air. "I don't need to be protected by them," she said coldly. "As far as they know, I died a long time ago, and I want to keep it that way." And then she was gone before Cloud could say anything more. He looked around, but he didn't see which way she went. It was like she just vanished. Sighing, he turned and left the alley and returned to his bike. He saw a few kids checking it out and maybe planning on doing more than that. He came up behind them and cleared his throat. The kids spun around and Cloud glared at them, making them scurry off. Sighing again, he mounted the bike and started it up. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end; it was the feeling that someone was watching him. But when he looked behind and around him, he didn't see anyone, so he turned back forward and drove back towards the bar. All the while, he couldn't help but think of that woman. Who was she, and what did she mean that he was "different" from her. _She's connected to Shinra somehow, though, _he thought. _And whatever it is, it can't be good. They think that she's dead, and the way she put it, if they knew differently, they would be after her in a moment. So she is an importance… somehow…_

Returning to the bar, he saw a familiar truck parked in the front and couldn't suppress a smile. Marlene must be thrilled now that Barret was home. Shutting down the bike and getting off, he headed into the bar and didn't even step through the door before hearing the excited chattering of the eight year old girl. Entering the bar, he saw Barret's huge form sitting on one of the benches with little Marlene on his lap. The girl was talking up a storm and Barret had a big grin on his face. Taking a quick look around the large room, he saw Yuffie sitting on one of the tables, legs swinging slightly, and Red XIII lying a few feet from the door, his head up and looking at Barret and Marlene, his long flame-tipped tail moving slowly across the floor. As Cloud was beginning to wonder where Cait Sith was, who was always seen with Red, the cat-like creature walked out from behind the bar, humming as he carried a plate full of food. He gave a quick wave to Cloud before clambering up a bench with the plate and taking a seat. Tifa was at her usual place behind the bar and smiled up at Cloud as he walked in.

At the sound of his entrance, Marlene looked up and grinned. She jumped down from Barret's lap and ran to Cloud, hugging his mid-section tightly. "Cloud," she exclaimed. "Barret's come home!"

Cloud smiled and wrapped one arm around the girl. "I can see that Marlene," he said with a slight chuckle. "And I figured as much, when I could hear you yakking from outside."

Marlene's grin got bigger and at the bar, Barret laughed, standing up as he did so. He walked over to Cloud and the two of them clasped hands in greeting. "How're you doin' there, Spiky? Seems like it's been ages."

"I'm good," Cloud said. "Just finished making a delivery. And by the way, Tifa…" Cloud looked past Barret to look at Tifa. "We have to make them pay extra if they want something to be delivered before 7 a.m. I hardly had time to wake up this morning."

"Well…" Marlene said, looking up at him, "if you didn't sleep in so late…"

Yuffie cackled as Cloud looked down at Marlene and said, "And since when did you get so smart-mouthed? I think you've been spending too much time with Yuffie." He lifted the girl up and swung her up to rest her on his hip. _She's starting to get too big for this... _ He pinched her nose, causing her to giggle. "And six-thirty is not late. Excuse me if I'm not crazy enough to wake up at five like the rest of you."

Barret laughed and said, "Alright, you stop squabbling. I promised her a day out and she's got to get ready. So get going girl, or we aren't going anywhere."

Marlene nodded and Cloud let her down. As Marlene rushed up the stairs, Cid came walking in from the back, cleaning his hands off with a rag. Tifa gave Cid a look, as if daring him to touch anything with his dirty hands, before turning back to Cloud and said, "So the delivery went well?" she asked.

Cloud nodded and then frowned, remembering the other events that had transpired that morning. "Yeah, delivery went well, but I had an interesting run-in during it." Then he told them about the girl he had run into, telling them everything to how she looked, acted and everything that she had said to him. Once done, everyone looked slightly surprised and Cloud could also see some worry.

"So basically," Cid said, "if Shinra knew this girl was alive, that wouldn't be good. She's definitely keeping under the radar for good reasoning. And having the same abilities as a Soldier, but had never been one in her life… who else agrees with me that this girl may be a little dangerous?"

"I don't know," Barret said, shaking his head. "The Mako-eyes is what set me off. That girl must have Mako running through her veins for her eyes to have that glow to them. Probably just as much as Cloud has, and that amount nearly killed him. Can't imagine how a girl, especially in that condition, could have survived that."

"What are you saying?" Yuffie exclaimed, glaring at Barret. "That women are weak? 'Cause if it is, you've got something coming…"

"I ain't sayin' that," Barret grumbled at the young ninja. "I'm just saying that a woman living like that couldn't possibly survive a procedure like that."

"Unless she was born with that Mako in her." Everyone looked around at Red, who was standing up. He looked up at them, his eyes serious. And Cloud could see something else in his old friend's eyes; memories that Red would rather forget.

"Do you know something, Red?" Cloud asked him.

"I may," Red said softly, sighing, "Although it was a long time ago, and I don't know much myself. Vincent may, or even Reno and Rude, but I only know what I found out, which probably isn't half of it."

"Well, what do you know?" Barret asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"Twenty years ago, Shinra had an orphanage that was filled with children. But these children all had Mako eyes, like Cloud's and the girl he described. When each of the children was still in the womb, they had been infused with Mako and Jenova cells, making them a completely different sub-species of humans. They were called the Mako Children, or Mako Eyes. But when the oldest of the children was only five, the orphanage was set on fire, the arsonists locking themselves inside with all the children. It was reported that no one in that building came out alive."

"That's terrible," Tifa said softly, eyes filled with sadness.

"Why would they want to kill those children?" Yuffie exclaimed, a little angry, although the event had occurred before she had been born.

Red shook his head. "Like I said, I don't know everything, but I believe that there were people who were afraid of these children, because they were much different than the normal children. Unlike Soldier, these children were born with the Jenova cells and Mako fused with their other cells and DNA. Who knows what kind of powers they may have possessed. They could have become much more powerful than any of the Soldiers."

"Well, one defiantly survived the fire," Cloud said, looking at the others. "This girl was not like a normal human. I actually had mistaken her for Soldier before she "kindly" told me that she never worked for Shinra."

Cid frowned and rubbed under his chin thoughtfully. "Cloud," he said, "do you think you can find this girl again? And maybe persuade her into coming here?"

Cloud shook his head. "I don't think she can be found unless she wants to be found. And she's a lot quicker than I am and I hate to say this, but I think she could easily kick my ass."

"And that's saying something," Barret muttered.

"Well, then," Cid said, "we'll just have to stay quiet about this, and make sure that Shinra doesn't hear a whisper about this girl. We'll protect her, even if she doesn't know that we are."

Cloud nodded and he turned back to Red, about to ask if he knew any more. But he was gone. Cloud frowned and noticed that Cait Sith had also slipped away. He looked up at Yuffie, who shrugged slightly. He sighed and walked up to the bar. Cid returned to the garage in the back and Barret began to head up the stairs, yelling for Marlene. Cloud sat on a stool and Tifa handed him a cup of coffee. She frowned when she looked into his face as he took the cup. "What is it?" she asked softly.

Cloud shook his head and said, "I have a feeling that Red may know more that he's saying. And I do not like any of what's going on right now."

Tifa frowned and said, "I don't know. About Red, I'm sure he'll tell us more when he's ready. But, I don't think that anything bad will happen, so I don't think you have to worry too much."

Cloud looked up at Tifa, his blue eyes glowing slightly. "Think about it Tifa… That girl may be a powerful sub-species of human. If she falls into the wrong hands, it could be the end for all of us. Or if she decides that she wants to take revenge on the world that created her and the world that destroyed her, there'll be no way to stop her, for me to stop her."

Tifa bite her lip and leaned back, hands on the top of the counter. "Now that you put it that way," she whispered, "this may be worse than I thought.

* * *

James flicked open his silver lighter and lit the cigarette that he held between his lips. The tip glowed brightly and he inhaled deeply. Snapping the lighter shut and slipping it back into his jacket pocket, he turned to face the two guys behind him, holding the cigarette with two fingers. His two companions were leaning against the wall, looking at ease despite the fierce look in their eyes. One was big-muscled like a weight lifter with almost black skin, his head shaved bald. The other was leaner but still muscular, with reddish-brown skin and jet black, shoulder-length hair. Both of their eyes were a dark muddy brown, and if James hadn't known it himself, he would have never guessed that they were half-brothers.

James himself was lanky, less bulky than the other two, although hard muscle could be seen under his dark blue shirt, and had straight, angular features. He had porcelain skin, golden eyes and untidy, bronze-colored hair. He looked more boyish than the other two, more like a teenager than the twenty-four year old man that he was. He took another drag on his cigarette before dropping it and crushing out the lighted tip with the toe of his boot. _Really have to quit…_ he thought. James looked back up at the two men and asked, "So, what about Shinra? Have you found a way to get in yet?"

"Besides getting captured and having them drag us in," the black man said, his voice deep and baritone, "there is no way in, none that we can see."

"There has to be some way in," James said angrily. "Shinra isn't that perfect."

"We can capture one of the Turks," the other said, folding his arms across his chest. "I bet that they will tell us what we want to know."

James barked out a laugh and shook his head. "Honesty, Zeke, do you think that it'll be easy to get a hold of a Turk? And even if we did, I'm sure they've been trained to endure any type of torture and not spill the information they're being asked for." He turned to the black man and asked, "Got a better idea Bear?"

Bear shook his head and said, "Sorry, James, I don't. I wish I could think of some way to get into Shinra for you."

"Why the hell do you want in Shinra anyway?" Zeke asked.

James glared at Zeke and growled deep in his throat. "I didn't crawl out of three feet of burnt rubble to live my life like a normal human. I want to know why the hell someone tried to kill me and had killed over fifty of the others that were in that orphanage with me. I want to know why I, only four years old, was put through tests that were meant for adults and why I'm different from humans. I want to know what makes me a Mako Child."

Zeke chuckled and said, "You really want me to believe that you're one of those freaks that were cooked in that building twenty years ago?"

James snarled and before Zeke knew it, James had a hold of the bigger man's throat and hurled him across the room. Before Zeke could pull himself to his feet, James got a hold of his throat again and slammed him up against the wall. James glared up at the man, whose face was beginning to turn purple from the lack of oxygen, his golden eyes pulsing with an inner light. "Watch what you say, Zeke," he said softly and coldly. "I can gut you like a fish right now if I wanted to. I know what I am, and now you know too. Watch your step around me and don't you dare piss me off." Then he allowed the big man to drop to the floor. James turned away from Zeke, breathing heavily as he tried to control the tide of anger flowing through him. He really hated using his strength on normal people, but that was how he had had to survive. That, and keeping under Shinra's radar. "Bear, find me a way into Shinra's files," James said to the other man. "I don't care how, just do it."

Bear nodded and walked out. James followed the bigger man out of the room and he walked out of the abandoned building that sat on the southern outskirts of Midgar. He stopped and looked out over the city that was beginning to turn in for the night. His golden eyes returned to normal, but there was still the normal faint light that always glowed from within. He looked up to the top of the two storied building, crouched slightly and jumped up high, landing lightly onto the roof. He turned to face the city and sat, resting his arms on his upraised knees. He stared out; not really seeing what was in front of him, but the images that always flashed in his mind, when he was alone. _Roaring, scorching flames… The screaming of the other children as they were burnt alive. James was clawing at a wall, trying to escape, his fingers and palms bloody. Everything falling in over his head and then him crawling out of the still burning timbers, the hot wood burning his skin…_

James ripped free of his nightmares with a shuddering gasp. How he had survived that night, he didn't know, but he was ready for payback. He was going to make Shinra pay. James looked out over the city again and wondered, as he always did, if there had been anyone else who had survived that fire. But then he shook his head at the thought. _I barely made it out alive, _he thought. _If that elderly lady hadn't found me, I would have died from my injuries. How could have anyone else made it out?_ Sighing, James rested his chin on his arms and stared out at the city, so many thoughts reeling through his head that he could hardly tell one from the other.


	3. Chapter 2: Secrets

"So, umm, Red," Cait Sith said, perched on the shoulders of his old friend. "Where exactly are we going?"

"We're looking for someone," Red said as he walked through the outer edge of Midgar, the part where the homeless and criminals lived. Red knew that she would be here, somewhere. And by the description Cloud had given, he knew that he was right.

As soon as Cloud gave the full description of his run-in with the woman, Red knew that it had to be Aneilla. He picked up his pace, making Cait Sith bounce on his shoulders. He hadn't seen the girl in a while and he felt bad about it. It had been he who had raised her after saving her from the fire. He had heard the screams of the children and had somehow made it into the building. He had found Aneilla, curled up in a corner, crying because she knew that she was going to die. But Red had saved her, carried her out of the burning building and out of the city. He raised her outside of the city, in the mountains where he lived. He cared for her until she was sixteen, which was when he had been captured by Hojo and then had joined Cloud's group soon after. When he was finally able to return home, she was gone. He had found her a year later in Midgar and had been overjoyed to know that she was alright. He kept in touch, but he didn't make a habit of it because he didn't want Shinra to notice.

Red picked up her scent and he followed it to an old warehouse. He sniffed the air and went around back to find several homeless kids surrounding a fire in a tall metal barrel. He spotted Aneilla sitting nearby and he turned his head to look at Cait Sith. "Stay here," he told the feline creature, "and wait for me. I need to be alone."

Cait Sith nodded and hopped off of Red, who then walked over to the huddled group of kids. Some of the kids looked at Red in surprise or fear while other looked at him in recognition, those who knew that he was friends with Aneilla. Red walked over to the silver haired woman, who smiled at him. She wrapped her arms around his neck in an embrace and then released him. "What brings you here, Nanaki?" she asked him. She was the only one who called him that, having known him before Hojo kidnapped him.

Red sat down next her, turning his head towards her so he could speak without anyone else hearing. "I believe you ran into a friend of mine today," he told her.

Aneilla frowned for a moment and then her eyes widened slightly. "That blonde haired man… from the bakery?" she asked.

Red nodded and chuckled slightly. "Yes," he said, "that was my friend, Cloud."

"Cloud…" Aneilla mumbled, "That's an odd name…"

Red chuckled again and then he looked at her in the eye. "Why are you still living like this, Aneilla?" he asked her sadly. "I know you can live a normal life without Shinra finding you out."

Aneilla shook her head, her lips pressed together. "I can't risk that Nanaki," she told him, "I feel safer this way. Living like this, I know that they can never find me."

"Then why don't you live with me and my friends," Red said, "I would feel much better, knowing that you are safe."

Aneilla gave Red a look and smirked. "Did your friend Cloud send you?" she asked, "Because he made the same offer to me."

"They don't even know I'm here, or that I even know you."

"Oh," she said. She smiled at Red and said, "Thanks for the offer, Nanaki, but I'm alright for now. If I need any help, I know who to come to."

Red sighed, knowing that it was a lost cause to try to make her change her mind. When Aneilla had her mind set, there was no possible way to change it. Red stood and he looked at Aneilla one last time. "If you need me…"

"Don't worry," Aneilla said, interrupting him. She tapped her head and gave him a slight grin. "I'll be able to find you."

Red nodded, understanding, before turning and heading back to where Cait Sith was waiting for him to return. Red walked by the feline creature, who scurried up beside him. "That was the girl Cloud ran into, isn't it?" Cait Sith asked.

Red looked at Cait and, instead of answering his question, he said, "Cloud and the others are _not_ to know of this. I had promised that I wouldn't let anyone know who she is or where she is. It's the only way that I can truly protect her. If Shinra finds out about her, I know that there will be no way that I can stop them from taking her back into the lab."

Cait Sith nodded and said, "I won't say anything, but why can't you tell the others."

"It's not that I can't trust them, it's just that… I can't tell them. I can't take that chance."

Cait Sith nodded and then he sighed. "You know that if Cloud and the others find out that you've known her and know where she is, they will be upset that you lied to them. Especially Cloud…"

"Yes, I know," Red said, "but I also think that they will understand as well."

"You're probably right," Cait Sith said. He jumped back up onto Red's back and patted his head. "Where to next?"

"Home," Red said, "I have a feeling that Vincent is back at the bar, and I want to know if he knows more about Aneilla's past than she and I do."

* * *

James stood against a wall of an abandoned, partly destroyed, building in the old part of Midgar. The outskirts of the city were still nothing more than rubble, even though it had been close to three years since the meteor touched down onto the city. It was here that the homeless and the vagabonds of the city lived, including those that didn't want to be found or discovered. _Like me, _he thought. In one hand, he held a paper bag that had a breakfast sandwich in it and in his other hand he held a Styrofoam cup with coffee in it. It was a new day, the sun already high over Midgar, the building James stood next to cast a shadow over him. Although it was already late into the morning, he knew that the person he was waiting for would be coming this way at any moment. And sure enough, he could hear the squeaking wheels of a metal cart coming from around the corner. James counted down from three and smiled when he saw a little old bag lady come around the corner.

The woman looked to be in her late seventies, maybe even early eighties, but despite her age, she was still strong and tough enough to live in the world in which she was placed. She was leathery and wrinkled and thin, just a few inches over five feet tall. The hands that gripped were lined with small scars, the fingers slightly crooked, but they were as strong as a farmer's. She wore a brown woolen dress under a heavy brown coat, a worn knitted cap over her shoulder-length, thin gray hair, and knee-high, black leather boots that were scuffed with age. The metal cart she pushed in front of her was bent and dented in places and one wheel no longer worked. Inside the cart were plastic bags half filled with the morning's bounty, but James knew that all the bags would be filled by the end of the day. The old lady picked up things that people had thrown out as either garbage or broken, took them back to her make-shift home and she either fixed them or created something out of them. James remembered watching those hands create amazing things out of what had once been trash. His smile got bigger as the woman got closer.

"Lucy," he called out softly.

The old lady stopped and spun around and whipped out a six inch blade from the inside of her boot. She squinted into the shadows where James stood, trying to figure out who was there. Once she saw him, her eyes narrowed in wariness and suspicion. James knew that the years had not been nice to Lucy; anyone could see that from the scars that lined her arms and face, so he could understand the tension the woman showed. He slowly walked out into the light and smiled when the old woman's eyes widened in recognition and surprise. "James," she exclaimed, putting the knife back into its hidden sheath. "My goodness boy, you sure gave me a scare."

James laughed slightly as he walked up to the old woman. He accepted the hug she gave him, bending over slightly, and he handed her the bag and coffee. "I've brought breakfast," he said.

"Oh, James," Lucy said, smiling, "you are too good to me. But you know I don't accept handouts."

"I know," James said, "but I need some information."

"Well, if that's the case," she said, "then I'm working." She then took the bag and coffee and the two of them sat down on a fallen part of a wall in the shadows of the building. James watched as Lucy prowled through the bag, his knees raised before him, shoes on the edge of the wall. Lucy sat with her feet planted on the ground, the paper bag on her lap and the coffee at her side. "An English muffin with sausage, egg and cheese," she said happily, "oh, bless you, James."

"You're welcome," James told her, watching as the old woman laid out a napkin on her lap before taking out the breakfast sandwich. Lucy had been the one to find him after the fire. She had spotted him curled up under a doorway of a collapsed building and had taken home to nurse him back to health. She had raised him until he was seventeen years old, always putting him first before herself. He was grateful to her and he cared for her like a mother he had never had. She knew what he was, but accepted it and told no one about it, to keep it from Shinra's prying ears. The times he had spent with Lucy were precious to him. He remembered always waking up with her at the crack of dawn and going out to help her search for items that could be used. When they returned home, he would help her sort through everything and helped her fix some of the items. She also found the time to teach him to read, write and do basic math. When Lucy had created and fixed enough items, James would go out and sell them in the city, and what didn't get sold by the end of the day would go to the thrift shop near the bakery. Either way, Lucy's items were always sold and she always got a good chunk of money for it all. Although it wasn't enough to live the proper life that she deserved, it was enough to allow her to live.

"So then," Lucy asked, looking up at James, "what do you want to know?"

"I need to get information from Shinra," James told her.

Lucy sighed, upset in her bright blue eyes. James knew that she disapproved of him trying to get into the Shinra Company, or having to anything to do with them. He knew that she disliked Shinra; she hadn't like them long before he had come into her life. James never asked why she disliked them, but he never asked because if she didn't tell him, then it wasn't his business to know. Lucy took a bite out of her sandwich and chewed slowly. Finally, she swallowed and said, "What is it then?"

"I need to find a way to get the information I need without getting found out and caught. We couldn't find a way in, and our best is trying to hack into their system, but I need to find other options. I had a feeling that you may know a thing or two."

"Unfortunately," Lucy said, "I do. There are a few people in the city that may have the answers you're looking for, besides the Turks, although I'm not sure that you can trust them or not. They did work with Rufus Shinra during the whole upset with Kadaj and his gang. But they also helped stop the meteor from taking out the entire world and have defeated Sephiroth."

James shook his head and said, "I just returned to Midgar, and only heard a little bit about Kadaj from a few people. But, I remember the meteor and Sephiroth… who are these people, anyway?"

"Well, you may not like this, but one is an ex-Soldier."

James felt the hair on the back of his neck bristle and he bared his teeth slightly. "You're telling me that someone who may know what I want to know worked for Shinra? I'm not going to ask for the help from a Soldier."

"Don't you get all hot under the collar, James," Lucy said, giving him a look that he remembered well. "Cloud is a good man, from what I heard."

"Cloud," James said slowly, looking down at the ground in front of him. He recognized the name, but he couldn't remember where he had heard it.

"But Cloud may not know about the Mako-Eyed," Lucy said. James looked up at her quickly and Lucy stared at him. "What? You thought that I didn't know what information you're looking for?"

James shrugged and Lucy laughed. She took a sip from her coffee and continued. "Like I said, Cloud might not know, but the man who is usually seen with him might. Vincent seems to know a lot that goes on behind Shinra's doors. But other than that, I don't know anyone else who can help you."

"You said these people worked for Shinra before," James said, "How can I be sure that as soon as I confront them, they'll give the slip to Shinra that I'm alive?"

"I don't think they'll do that…" Lucy said slowly, and then she blinked and then quickly turned around to face James. "But I did hear a rumor, from some of the homeless who live in the city. Something about them offering shelter to a Mako-Eyed, to protect them from Shinra…"

"Why didn't you say this earlier?" James exclaimed, staring at Lucy. If there was another Mako-Eyed still alive and living in the area…

"Like I said, it's only a rumor," Lucy said. "The person who told me kind of scoffed it off like it was rubbish anyway. I didn't want to get your hopes up, dear. I just mentioned it to point out that these people may not be as bad as you think. It doesn't matter though…" Lucy shook her head and looked up at James. "I just wish that you don't go into all of this. It's so dangerous and I don't want anything to happen to you." She took his hand and squeezed it gently. "You're the only family I have now, James," she said, sadly, "and I don't want to lose you."

"You won't," James said, covering Lucy's wrinkled hand with his other hand. "I know what I'm doing."

Lucy sighed and said, "I hope you're right."

"Thank you, Lucy, for the information," he said, before pressing some money into her hand. Before she could protest, James stood up and left. Slipping deeper into the ruins of Midgar, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket, deep in thought. If Nemo couldn't hack into Shinra's system, then James would take Lucy's information and go find this Vincent and Cloud. And what about that rumor Lucy had heard. If there was another Mako-Eyed running around, then James would be ecstatic. That would mean that he wasn't the only one left; that there would be someone else who understood what he felt. James sighed and shook his head. He wasn't going to get his hopes up. Like Lucy had said, it could only be a rumor. James headed back to where he was staying, hoping that the others had found something that would make the day seem worthwhile.

* * *

Cloud sat on top of the bar, Tifa leaning against it on the other side behind him. He was lightly tapping his fingers on the bar top, waiting for Vincent to arrive. Cloud had gotten a hold of him the night before and had given him a quick explanation of what he had encountered. Vincent said that he would come by tomorrow and tell them what he knew of the Mako Eyed. But it was already past noon and there was no sign of Vincent. And neither Red nor Cait Sith had returned from when they slipped out yesterday. The whole situation made Cloud uneasy. Until Vincent answered his questions, he had no idea what they may or may not be up against. Could this girl be a danger to Midgar, or would she become a danger if Rufus Shinra got his hands on her. Either way, Cloud would put a stop to it, even if it meant killing the girl, which he had a feeling would be impossible.

He heard footsteps coming down the stairs and turned slightly to see Denzel appear at the foot. The young boy was rubbing his eyes wearily, sniffing slightly from the cold he picked up. His brown hair was tousled as usual and his blue eyes were slightly filmed over from sleep as he looked around the room. His eyes rested on Cloud and he walked over, boosting himself up onto one of the stools next to him. "Vincent's not here yet?" Denzel asked, his voice sounding groggy from sleep and the fact that his sinuses were stuffed with mucous.

"No, not yet," Cloud said wearily. He gave Denzel a look and asked, "Shouldn't you be in bed? You're not sounding too well."

Denzel shrugged and said, "I couldn't sleep anymore. My head started to hurt when I tried to fall back asleep."

"Well, then," Tifa said, straightening up. "I'll make you some nice herbal soup. How's that sound?"

Denzel smiled and nodded and Tifa went into the kitchen. Cloud ruffled Denzel's hair and said, "Aren't we lucky to have Tifa around to take care of us?"

"Speak for yourself, Cloud," Tifa called, poking her head around the door of the kitchen. "You are a big boy now and you can take care of yourself. I'm not your mommy."

Cloud grumbled as Denzel laughed slightly. "So what you're saying is that you won't take care of me when I'm sick? Gee, thanks, Tifa… love you too…"

"Watch it or I _will_ take care of you," Tifa said, standing at the door and shaking a wooden spoon at him.

Cloud just gave her a quick grin before turning back to the front door. With a soft "grr" sound, he jumped off the counter and muttered, "Where the hell is Vincent?"

"Impatients killed the cat, Cloud," Yuffie said, bouncing in from the back.

"I thought it was curiosity?" Cloud grumbled.

Yuffie stopped and looked thoughtful for a moment. "Huh… maybe it is… anyway, be patient Cloud. When Vincent gets here, he'll get here."

Cloud nodded and he sat at on of the tables near the windows. Rain fell heavily outside, which put a hold on the deliveries for the day. Barret and Marlene had gone out though, despite the rain and the cold that came with it. Cloud was beginning to wonder if Vincent had gotten held up somewhere when the front door opened, letting in a burst of cold and rain. Looking up, he saw that it was only Barret and Marlene, both of them wearing wet rain-jackets. He quickly stood up and backed away from Marlene, who was coming at him to give him a hug. "Wait till you've dried off, Marlene," he told her. "You look like you just went swimming."

Marlene grinned and took off her wet jacket and boots, leaving them near the front door. She then joined Denzel at the bar, who was being served a bowl of steaming soup by Tifa. Marlene asked if she could have some and Tifa got her another bowl. Cloud returned back to the bar at the other end from the kids and Barret joined him. As Cloud sat down on one of the stools, Barret went around to the other side of the bar and took out a bottle of rum from under the counter. He poured himself a cup and offered Cloud some, who refused. "It sure is chilly out today," Barret said, taking a swig from his drink. "But I had promised Marlene to take her out. Just wished that it was a bit nicer today."

Cloud nodded and asked, "Didn't see Vincent around town, did you?"

"No," Barret said, "and I figured that I wouldn't have anyway. The guy isn't usually seen unless he wants to be seen."

Cloud nodded again and frowned. "He isn't usually late, either," he said. "I wonder what's holding him up."

"Had to check out something," a steady, low voice said from behind him. "I had to find a few answers myself."

Cloud spun around and saw the tall dark figure of Vincent at the door. The long red cloak he wore moved slightly from the wind outside, and his long black hair hardly seemed wet. Cloud turned himself around in his seat and gave a nod in greeting to Vincent. Behind him, he heard Barret move to the other end of the bar and tell Marlene and Denzel to go on up stairs. Cloud was a little surprised to hear both children refuse, saying that they wanted to know what was going on. Barret didn't argue, but told them that as long as they stayed quiet, they could stay.

"What do you know, Vincent?" Cloud asked. "Do you know anything about the Mako Eyed?"

"I know some," he said, "that I learned of during the past few years. Shinra keeps the information pretty locked up tight, but as always, a few bits of information slip out."

"So what do you know, despite the fact that they aren't like normal humans?"

"Twenty-five years ago, Shinra Company conducted an experiment that somewhat branched from the Soldiers and Jenova. They thought of creating a sub-species of human, using Mako and Jenova cells and infusing them into the fetus of several different pregnant woman who due dates were several months apart. They thought that they could create a human who would be born with all the abilities of a Soldier and maybe even more. The children were born and the first thing that was noticed was the eyes; they all had the Mako glow to them, hence the name Mako-Eyed."

"But, what happened?" Tifa asked. "Why the fire and why didn't Shinra try to save some of the children?"

"He believed that the experiment was a failure," Vincent said. "Yes, the children did show some differences than normal children their age. They were all quick learners and were smart for their age. But they didn't show the signs of the abilities possessed by Soldiers who have been infused with Jenova cells, or any strength caused by the Mako that ran through their veins. Shinra believed that the cells and Mako infused into the children so well, that it became just another normal part to them, like the cells and DNA for normal humans, that it gave no effects to them like it did to normal humans. So when the building was set afire and the children were being murdered in front of his eyes, he made no extra effort to save them. He just let them burn."

"So that's why that girl hates the Shinra Company so much," Yuffie said. "She hates that they had let the others die."

"She feels that they are just as guilty of the murder as the people who had set the fire," Barret added.

"Was it ever found out that the children did have certain abilities to them that normal humans don't have?" Cloud asked, although he knew that the answer to his question was answered by the way he had watched that woman move.

"It was never discovered," Vincent said. "As far as I know, the Mako Eyed has no special abilities."

"They do," a new voice said from behind Vincent. "They have special abilities that even Shinra didn't expect."

Cloud looked up to see Red XIII walk in, shaking rain water from his body and sending Cait Sith hurtling across the room. "You know more than what you said yesterday, Red," Cloud said, glaring slightly at his friend. "What is it that you're not telling us?"

"Ohhh…" Cait Sith said, standing up and rubbing his head. "I knew he was going to get pissy."

Red looked at Cloud and said, "I can't tell you."

"And why the hell not?"

"Because I had made a promise not to; to protect someone," Red said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Cloud, but I can't tell you unless I'm told that I could."

"There are times that promises have to be broken," Cloud said, feeling himself getting angry. "You not saying anything might risk the safety of whoever you are protecting."

Red stared up at him, his eyes pleading. "Please, Cloud, don't make this any harder…"

"It's alright Nanaki…"

Everyone turned to the door as a young woman walked in, her hair and clothing soaked. She dumped a bag onto the floor and wrung out her long hair. When she looked at all of them, they could all see the soft glow of Mako in her eyes. Her eyes flicked back to Cloud's and she stared into his own Mako-glowing eyes. "I've accepted both of your requests in your hospitality," she said.


	4. Chapter 3: Power of the Mako Eyed

Aneilla dumped her worn duffel bag onto the floor slowly as she looked at all the people in front of her. The one standing before her, Cloud, was staring at her with a strange intensity and looked kind of pissy. The spirit signature coming off of him, off of all of them, was much more different than she had ever felt from another human being. They were powerful and pulsed with such a force, Aneilla could almost feel it throbbing against her chest; a lot like the feeling she felt when music was being played loudly. She looked around the room again, hoping to see someone else who had the mako glow in their eyes, but there was no one else who did. She pushed back her soaked hair away from her eyes and looked back at Cloud. "Is that offer still available?" she asked him.

Cloud seemed to shake himself out of whatever trance he went into when she walked in. He nodded and looked over at the black haired woman behind the counter. "Tifa, are any of the spare bedrooms ready?" he asked.

The woman, Tifa, nodded and said, "Yeah, I believe one is ready upstairs. I'll go check." She then left through a door at the back of the room and Aneilla could hear the sound of her walking up stairs. Aneilla looked over at the two children who sat at the bar, bowls that sat on the counter before them forgotten. One was a tousled haired boy and the other was a brown hared girl who looked younger than the boy. Both children looked at Aneilla with looks of amazement and some fear of what she would do next. Although they seemed like normal kids, the spirit signatures coming from them said otherwise. The other people in the room seemed to be about Aneilla's age or older. There was a big, dark skinned man who seemed to have a robotic right arm standing next to the bar near the kids. A young woman who looked to be in her late teens, maybe early twenties, with short cut black hair sat on one of the tables in the bar. The tall man who stood next to the door stared at her silently and set a shiver down her spine. She knew that this was Vincent, the ex-Turk, who Red had told her a lot about. She recognized the cat-like creature from the night before when Red came to visit her. Aneilla turned and looked back at Cloud, who still seemed angry at Red. "Don't be upset with Nanaki," she told him. "I didn't want him to tell anyone about me."

Cloud frowned and looked away and down slightly, but he nodded in answer and that settled with Aneilla. She crouched down next to Red and wrapped an arm around his neck. She kissed his cheek gently and said, "I'm so glad that I have you to care for me."

Red chuckled and said, "I've put you through a lot, little one. I hope you can forgive me."

"Of course I can."

"How did you survive the fire?" Vincent asked her, his voice cold almost.

Aneilla looked up at Vincent and was about to answer when Red did it for her. "I had saved her from the fire, sixteen years before Hojo got his hands on me. I had secretly raised her until then and when I was taken, she slipped back into the slums of Midgar and lived out her life as a homeless to stay under the radar from Shinra. I found her a year before Kadaj and his gang showed up and I have been checking in on her ever since then."

"Were there any others?"

Aneilla shook her head and said, "I didn't see any others and I couldn't find the spirit signature of any others either."

"'Spirit signature'?" Cloud asked.

"It's one of the abilities the Mako-Eyed have," Red said, "or at least that is what I believe. Aneilla has the ability to read the spirit signature of any human. She can tell whether they are sick, mentally or physically, and how powerful someone is."

"Everyone has their own individual spirit signature, or aura," Aneilla said. "Kind of like a finger print or a retinal scan. The color or the way it pulses determines how powerful someone is, or if they are sick or healthy. It's kind of hard to explain…"

"It's alright," Vincent said, nodding to Aneilla. Aneilla smiled slightly, thankful that she didn't have to try and explain her ability. It had been hard trying to explain it to Red when she first discovered it.

"Do you always see someone's… aura… around them?" the young woman sitting on the table asked.

"Only when I want to," Aneilla told her. "I have control over that. But some of my other abilities I don't have much control over."

"Other abilities?" the big man at the bar asked. "You have other abilities than that?"

Aneilla nodded and sighed. She could feel herself starting to get edgy, and was beginning to think that coming here had been a bad idea. She felt like she was in some sort of laboratory, or back in the orphanage. But Red's presence beside her calmed her nerves. "My movements are much faster than even a Soldier First Class and are more fluid, kind of like a cat's. I can land on my feet after jumping down from tall buildings and I can jump up to ten feet. Those are basics, really. The other abilities, the ones I don't have a lot of control over are…" Aneilla stopped, unsure to tell these people. A gentle nudge from Red told her that it was alright and that she could go on; that these people can be trusted. "When I become angry or feel endangered, something happens to me. An electrical power surges through me and my eyes turn cat-like. My teeth become fangs and my powers jump to the next level. I become some sort of… animal…" Aneilla looked away and said, "That's why I've kept away from humans. Once I turn into that form, I lose control of myself."

"How do you know this, if you lose control of yourself?" Vincent asked, his red eyes narrowed slightly.

"I had seen it happen to her once," Red told him. "I was able to keep her under control until she came back to her senses, so she wouldn't harm anyone. It had been the first time it happened to her, when she was around fourteen years old."

"And it hasn't happened again since then?" Cloud asked.

"That's why I stay separate from people," Aneilla repeated, "so I don't hurt anyone and that doesn't happen again." She shifted slightly and then said, "Another thing that I don't have much control over is my Black Magic. I can control it to a certain extent. If I try to do anything too powerful, it tends to blow up somewhere other than the place I want it to."

"I think that just requires training," Vincent said smoothly. "As for the other ability, if you can call it that, I'm not too sure of. We will have to see about that."

Red nodded in agreement and looked at Aneilla. "Are you up for a little training?" he asked her. "It will help you control your powers more."

Aneilla nodded and said, "I'm up for it. The less I have to worry about hurting myself or other people, the better off I'll feel. I also don't want to attract anything to myself, like Shinra for instance."

"Shinra won't know about you," Tifa said, coming down the stairs. "If they ask anything, we'll just say that you're a friend helping out." She smiled and nodded up the stairs. "Your room is ready for you. Third door on the left. I hope it's comfortable enough for you."

Aneilla smiled and said, "Thank you, all of you, for allowing me to stay."

"Since you are staying," the big man said with a grin, "we might as well be introduced to each other. My name's Barret and these two little ones here are Denzel and Marlene."

"And I'm Yuffie, the Great Ninja," the girl sitting on the table said.

Aneilla laughed slightly, already warming up to the new place that was going to be her home for a while. "I'm Aneilla."

* * *

James walked into the darkened room, the glow of the computer screens the only light. It hurt his eyes at first, but after blinking a few times, he was able to walk in the rest of the way. There was only one person at the curved table of computers; a woman with black hair pulled up in a messy bun with chopsticks, tiny shimmering red stones at the ends, crossing through it. She wore a black short sleeved kimono dress that was close fitting and ended above the knees, a red sash tied around her waist where two katanas were held, one at each hip. She had on knee high black leather boots and black bands around each wrist. She sat in the wheeled chair in front of one of the computers, her fingers flying across the keyboard at a speed that was inhuman. But, Nemo wasn't exactly a human.

Bear stood beside Nemo and the big black man looked up when James stood on Nemo's other side. "Nemo thinks she's has something," Bear told him.

James leaned forward, placing his hands on the table. "What do you have for me, Nemo?" he asked her.

The woman looked up at his, her eyes almond shaped and burnished silver. She had an oval shaped face, pale skin and features too perfect for humans and seemed ageless. Nemo was a humanoid, a robot, who had been created by a secret company that took shape long before the Shinra Company. Nemo didn't know who her creator was, but she did know that she, as well as other humanoids, had been created for the sole purpose of fighting in battle, to prevent real humans from dying. Nemo and several hundred other humanoids had been shipped to Shinra and somehow, Nemo managed to break through the code that had been placed in her and entrapped her. She escaped and later on joined James and the others, wanting to go against Shinra for using her as a doll; Nemo was definitely more than some robot. After the chip implanted in her head had been removed, she had no worries of anyone controlling her again. She stood alongside James as his partner and James trusted her most out of everyone.

Nemo turned back to the computer screen and her fingers flew over the keys. James watched as strange text scrolled quickly down the screen, text he couldn't read but knew that Nemo could. "I managed to get through the firewall to some of Shinra's files undetected," Nemo told him, her voice monotone. "I have found some files on the Mako-Eyed."

"In other words, sir," Bear said, looking at James with a grin, "we hit the jackpot."

"Not quite," Nemo corrected him. "It is mostly the basics; the Mako-Eyed were children who had been born with Mako and Jenova cells infused into their DNA, a process that happened before birth, while the child was still growing in the womb. It was hoped that a new, powerful species of human would be created, humans that would be as strong as Soldier, but not have to undergo the Jenova cell infusion process. But the experiment was said to be failure; the children showed no signs of unnatural abilities, or any of the abilities that a normal human gains when they become Soldier." Nemo looked back up at James, a frown on her face. "I still have deeper to go, but it is a start."

"What about the fire?" James asked her. "Have you found anything on that?"

Nemo nodded and said, "Enough to know what happened that night. There was a group of people who didn't like the idea of a new species of human existing. They feared for their futures and the future of their children. They believed that the Mako Children would overwhelm them all and 'take over'. It was some from that group who started the fire. Locking themselves and the children inside, the set the building aflame from the inside and were burnt alive along with the children. By the time help, and Shinra, arrived, it was too late; the entire building was in flames and the fire department couldn't gain control of the fire, or get inside to save the children. Shinra didn't bother to push the matter of saving the children. According to observers, he just watched the building, and the children inside, burn."

James snarled softly under his breath, his hands clenching into fists. So Shinra didn't start the fire that caused all those deaths, but he was just as guilty for them as those who caused the fire were. "Is there anything else," James asked Nemo. "Is there anything about any survivors?"

Nemo peered at the computer screen and then she shook her head. "Nothing. The scientists called the experiment a failure. But there is one thing; the files say that the Mako-Children Project branched off of the Sephiroth Project in a way; creating a super-human while the child is still inside the mother. I guess Hojo like the results and tried it on other, only advancing this project by infusing both Mako and Jenova cells. But of course, the results weren't what the scientists expected and so on."

"So the creation of me was branched off by the creation of that madman?" James asked, the anger inside him rising to a new level. He clenched his fists tighter and felt his fingernails, which seemed unusually sharp, dig into the soft flesh of his palms.

"Seems so, boss," Bear said softly.

Nemo spun around in her chair to look at James, her silver eyes piercing into his topaz ones. "You are nothing like Sephiroth and you know that. Shinra has done some horrible things, and they will pay for all of it. You will make them pay, for killing your kind and making you the last."

James nodded, feeling blood creep up over his fingertips where he cut himself. "I'll make them wish they never thought of the project in the first place." He then turned to Nemo and said, "Look up Cloud Strife."

Nemo blinked, the only sign of surprise that she could show. "Cloud Strife?"

James nodded and said, "I want to know his story. There's a rumor going around, involving him with a Mako-Eyed, and I want to see what's in it for him, and what his deal with Shinra is."

"What are you thinking boss?" Bear asked as Nemo turned back to the computer screen and began hitting keys.

"I think that the key to getting into Shinra is him," James said. "Everything seems to involve him somehow; Kadaj's gang seemed very intent on him when they first showed up and he always has one foot in the Shinra Company. If we get enough info, our next stop will be him."

"Sorry to say, then, that this is the end of the road for you," a voice said from the entrance behind him. James turned around to see Zeke with three other guys behind him and he chuckled. Zeke glared at him and said, "Did you not hear me? I said that it's over for you."

"Kinda figured that this was coming," James said, unclenching his hands. He slowly walked towards Zeke and his lackeys, who backed up slightly. "I never did trust you Zeke," he continued, staring up at the taller man. "Good thing I trusted my instincts."

"You're inhuman scum!" Zeke spat at James. "You're kind should have never existed in the first place."

James tilted his head slightly, realization dawning on him. "You were apart of that group who set the building on fire," he said slowly.

Zeke shrugged and said, "Yeah, I am. And I'm going to finish the job."

James gritted his teeth and balled his hands into fists. Suddenly, a flaming, black and gold aura surrounded him in an explosion. His eyes transformed into cat-like, golden orbs and fangs replace the normal human teeth in his mouth. Jet black, dragon-like wings burst from his back as his fingers became deadly claws. With a quick movement, he grabbed Zeke by his throat and lifted him up off the ground. Digging the claws into the human's neck, James grinned wickedly, showing the dying man his row of deadly fangs. "You should have finished the job years ago, human," James hissed, "before I gained more of my power." And as easily as crushing a soda can, James crushed Zeke's throat, nearly decapitating him, before throwing the lifeless body to the side like it was a bag of rags. The body hit the wall with a sickening nose and laid on the floor, blood pooling around it. James turned to the three men and said, "Care to change your minds?"

The men quickly dropped to there knees, begging for forgiveness. James flexed his body, returning back to his normal form. He glared down at the three men and said, "Leave now, and never show your faces around Midgar again. Do you understand me?"

The men nodded and the quickly got up and ran off. James stood there until their retreating foot fading even from his hearing and then he turned to face Nemo and Bear. "Bear," James said, "get rid of the garbage." He nodded towards Zeke's body.

Bear nodded and left to find someone to carry out the body.

James walked over to Nemo, who looked up at him with her usual blank expression. "Nemo," he said softly, "I need you to find Cloud Strife for me as soon as possible. Can you do that?"

Nemo nodded and said, "I can."


	5. Chapter 4: A New Start

_Screams of dying children... blistering heat... desperate attempts to escape, always failing... blood smearing the walls from scrapped fingers that tried to crawl up the walls, to escape..._

_She was flying across the land, her large body close to the ground, powerful wings beating against the wind. Before her, she could smell the scent of the terrified animal she was chasing. The scent exhilarated her, causing her to fly faster. The animal was below her and she swooped down upon it, feeling her claws sink into the soft flesh of her prey. She landed on the ground, the animal held down under her front claws. She sank her fangs into the neck of the animal, feeling its blood burst into her mouth, the taste rich and delicious..._

Aneilla's eyes flew open and she sat up quickly. She found herself in a real bedroom for what was probably the first time in her life and she remembered the events that occurred the day before. She was in the tavern owned by Tifa, Seventh Heaven, safe from Shinra finding or hearing of her. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood up, wearing nothing but a tank top and shorts. Her bare feet touched the cold floor and she shivered slightly. She went to the bathroom and turned the water of the shower on. As the water heated up, she striped out of her clothing and then stepped into the shower, closing the curtain behind her.

Stepping under the warm torrent of water, she closed her eyes and lifted her face to the water, allowing it to wash over her body. Although she had showered the night before, she still felt like she was dirty from living on the streets and Aneilla wondered if she would ever feel completely clean. As she cleaned her body, she thought about the dream she had had.

The first part was the same nightmare that she always had; fighting to escape the fire. But the second part of the dream had been new. She remembered feeling like she was the creature, whatever it had been, that chased down the animal. She had smelt the scents and tasted the blood. It had been like she _was_ the creature. Aneilla shuddered and finished up and turned off the water. It had only been a dream, nothing more. She forced herself to forget about it as she stepped out of the shower.

Wrapping her body with a towel, she stood in front of the mirror and wiped away the moister the steam left on the glassy surface. She looked at her reflection and noticed how thin her face was. _I really need to fill up more, _she thought. _And get my body into shape._ She tugged on her long hair, frowning slightly. Dead ends ran almost half way up each strand of hair. It all looked dead. Also, with her blue eyes and the long silver hair, she couldn't help but think that she looked a bit like Sephiroth. Shuddering again, Aneilla looked around until she found a pair of scissors and then returned to the mirror. Holding up a portion of her hair, she cut it until it was chin length. She continued to cut her hair, giving it messy, uneven layers until she was satisfied. She then took another towel and dried her hair. She returned to her room and dressed in the clothing Tifa let her borrow until she was able to buy new clothing. After cleaning up the bathroom, she headed downstairs.

She found Tifa with Marlene and Denzel at the bar. The two children were eating and Tifa was cleaning dishes. As Aneilla came downstairs, Tifa looked up at her and smiled, and didn't seem shocked about her change in appearance. "Good morning," the young woman said. Marlene and Denzel looked up and the two of them blinked slightly at the sight of Aneilla, but neither of them said anything. Aneilla sat down on one of the stools at the bar and Tifa asked, "Would you like anything to eat?"

Aneilla looked up at Tifa and nodded. "Whatever you have will be great," she said.

Tifa nodded and she went to the kitchen, soon returning with a plate that had scrambled egg, sausage links and toast. "I was going to save this for Cloud," Tifa said, setting the plate in front of Aneilla, "but it looks like he'll be running late today. I'll just make more when he comes back."

"Thanks," Aneilla said, and then she began to eat. The food was delicious and she ended up having two helpings. She hadn't eaten like this for a long, long time. Once she was done, she pushed the plate aside and started to sip at the cup of coffee Tifa had set out for her. As she sat drinking her coffee, the sound of heavy boot steps sounded behind her and she turned her head slightly to see Barret walk in. The big man shook water off of him and stamped his boots on the door mat before entering the bar.

"Damn rain," Barret grumbled. "Second day in a row now."

"Good morning to you too, Barret," Tifa said with a smile.

Barret chuckled and said, "Sorry, didn't mean to start grumbling first thing in the morning." He then noticed Aneilla and gave her a nod in greeting. "Good morning to you, little lady. I see that you've changed your appearance."

Aneilla just shrugged, running a hand through her hair. "Needed to get rid of the dead stuff," she said.

Barret nodded and strode over to the bar, taking a seat and accepting the cup of black coffee Tifa offered him. Aneilla returned to her own cup and listened to Tifa and Barret talking about the weather when Cloud walked in from the back. The blonde was soaked, his hair dripping, and his eyes flashing with frustration.

"That's it!" he growled angrily. "I'm done for today! I'm not going to listen to people complaining that their packages are wet. Until this weather breaks, I'm taking a break." With that, Cloud dropped into a seat with a squelching noise, and sat there with a sulking look on his face. Aneilla couldn't help but giggle, along with Denzel and Marlene. Tifa only smiled, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she gave Cloud his coffee before going into the kitchen to make breakfast for the two men.

Aneilla finished her cup and stood up. She started walking around the bar, coming up the wall that was covered in pictures. They were of Cloud, Tifa and the others, all looking happy. _They're like a family, _she thought to herself, feeling envious. As she thought that, laughter behind her made her turn around to see Marlene playing with Cloud's wet hair, making it even spikier than normal. _I'm just an outsider to this family, just like how I am to the world. _ Aneilla sighed softly and she took a seat at one of the booths near the large windows. She stared out at the rain, thoughts whirling around her head. She found herself wondering about her own mother, or if she even had one for that matter. _I have to… I was born…_ And where were her mother, and her father? Were they around here in Midgar or far away from here? Were they even alive at all? So many questions and Aneilla didn't know if she would find the answers to them.

"You seem lost, little one."

Aneilla turned to see Red standing next to her booth, long tail swaying. "I am lost, Nanaki," she told him. "I don't who, or what, I am. I don't know where I belong… hell, I don't feel like I belong anywhere. I'm so different from other people, and the worst part, the creation of that monster Sephiroth led up to _my _creation, making me somewhat linked to him. And here I am, staying with the people who have a history with him. I've got so much going through my head right now, it hurts."

Red didn't say anything while Aneilla ranted and when she finished, he looked at her and smiled. "Don't worry," he told her. "We'll find out everything soon. And as for the Sephiroth part, don't worry… you aren't him and are nothing like him. These people will not judge you for what you are."

"I just… I feel so alone."

"Don't, because you have people who care about you… you will never be alone."

* * *

During the next week, Aneilla began to settle in the new life that had been placed before her. She found herself relaxing around Tifa and the others and the usual activity around the bar. The first night she spent at the open bar, she was in a panic, afraid that someone would recognize her for what she was and drag her back to the Shinra Company. Once she realized that she was indeed safe, she started helping out during the bar's opening hours, serving drinks from behind the counter and taking orders. Eventually her helping became her job, which she didn't realize until Tifa offered her paycheck.

"Tifa, no, I can't take that," Aneilla told Tifa. "You offering me a place to stay is well enough."

"Which is why I took some for your bill," Tifa said with a smile. "Now take the money and use it for yourself."

"Tifa…"

"Take it, Aneilla, before I _make_ you…"

Aneilla, not wanting to see how Tifa would make her, took the money with reluctance.

Aneilla couldn't help but enjoy her time living at Seventh Heaven. During the day, she would help clean up from the night before and, when Cloud wasn't doing deliveries or Vincent was around, she was training.

The first thing she learned was how to control her Black Magic. For this, Cloud had given her four small, marble sized glowing orbs. "These are called Materia," Cloud told her. "You can use them to help control your magic. There are much larger sizes of Materia, but I figured that these would suffice for you." Then he showed her how to channel her power through the orbs and use them to focus on her intended target. It took Aneilla awhile, but she was soon able to have control over her magic like she hadn't before. Yuffie had taken the Materia and made a bracelet; the four small orbs all connected by a silver chain between each of them. It clasped around Aneilla's wrist tight enough so she wouldn't have to worry about it falling off during combat.

Vincent taught her how to use a hand gun. "It's quite simple, really," Vincent said. "Point and shoot." He allowed Aneilla to practice shooting targets with his own weapon, Cerberus, and she discovered she had a knack with using the weapon. He also taught her other melee skills, like punches and kicks that would come in handy for close combat. Tifa had a hand in helping Aneilla at this as well. But when it came to whatever was inside of Aneilla and how to control it, no one could help her. Even Vincent was unable to help her, even though he knew what it was like to have some sort of monster inside of him. "Although I can control him," he told Aneilla during one of their lessons, "I can feel Chaos inside of me, wanting to take over."

Before Aneilla knew it, close to a month had already gone by. She was learning fast and starting to lose the thin look to her. Her body began to tone up with muscle and her hair, once dull, was now starting to get a soft sheen to it. The only thing that didn't change about her appearance was her eyes; they were still a bright blue with the soft glow of Mako to them. When looking at herself in a mirror one morning, Aneilla almost didn't recognize herself. _I've changed so much since I first came here,_ she thought with slight amazement. And she knew that she had Cloud, Red and the others to thank for that.

* * *

"Aneilla?"

"Hmm…" Aneilla mumbled, looking up from the book she was reading. She had picked up a few books one time while she had gone out with Tifa. It allowed her to past the time more quickly and dive into another world where she didn't have to think about how different she was from other people, or have to worry about anyone discovering her.

She blinked with slight surprise to see Vincent walk into her room, carrying a dark wooden box with his human arm. "Vincent," she said, marking her place in the book and setting it on her bedside table. She sat up, folding her legs to one side. "What is it?"

"I was hoping you were awake," Vincent said, walking over to her bed, his long red cloak swaying slightly as he moved. He sat on the edge of her bed, turning towards her. "Wanted to give you this…" He set the box down in front of her.

Aneilla touched the top of the box lightly with her fingertips. She looked up at Vincent and asked, "What is it?"

"Open it up and find out."

Aneilla turned the box around to flip up the latch and lift open the lid. She let out a soft gasp to what was inside.

It was a handgun, similar to Cerberus, only smaller and built more for a woman's use. It was holstered in deep red leather embroidered with silver. She carefully lifted it up and found it lighter than Vincent's gun, making it easier for her to wield. "Omigosh, Vincent…"

"Cloud and the other chipped in to get it for you," Vincent said. "But they suggested that I bring it to you."

Aneilla looked up at Vincent, raising her eyebrows. "Why…"

Vincent only shrugged and said, "Probably because I was the one that taught you."

"Well, thank you, and I'll tell the others that as well." Aneilla looked back at the weapon and sighed softly. "You've all been so good to me, and I'm grateful to it, but I don't really understand why…"

"What do you mean?"

"I know that every time Cloud looks at me, he can see Sephiroth. I don't mean to look like him, but I know that I do. I'm almost like a remnant to him, like Kadaj and his gang. I'm linked to the man that had caused all of you so much pain, and I feel guilty for that."

"Don't," Vincent said quietly. "You never asked to be born the way you did. And you are nothing like Sephiroth. You didn't allow your creation take over your actions. Sephiroth killed because he hated the world for what he was. Are you like that?"

Aneilla shook her head. "No, but I hate Shinra." Her grip tightened on the gun. "I hate them so much, for what they did to me. If it hadn't been for them, I could have had a normal life; grown up happy, gone to school… live a normal life."

"I know how you feel…" Vincent said. "I think of that sometimes, about how I would have lived if Hojo didn't do what he did to me…" Vincent shook his head and stood up. "But this was caused by my sins, and this is my punishment. It was me who made the choices that I did that led up to this point."

"You didn't ask Hojo to put Chaos in you, just like how I didn't ask for him to put Jenova cells and Mako inside of me." Aneilla rested her gun on the bed and stood up beside Vincent. She gingerly rested her hand on his human arm. "Our lives were both screwed up by a madman… If you say that it isn't my fault for the way I am, then it isn't your fault for the way you are."

Vincent looked at her, crimson eyes looking into blue. "Aneilla…" Whatever Vincent was going to say was cut off by a crash downstairs followed by Marlene screaming. Aneilla grabbed her gun, pulling it out of its holster as Vincent drew out his. Leaving her gun's holster on the bed, Aneilla followed Vincent out of her room and down the hall.

Once they reached downstairs, they found themselves facing a woman with black hair pulled back with chopsticks holding it in place dressed in a kimono dress that ended at her knees. In each hand she held a katana, the hilts stuck behind a red sash she wore around her waist. What startled Aneilla the most about this woman was her face. She seemed ageless, emotionless and had burnished silver eyes. As Vincent and Aneilla faced her, another person walked in; a large black man, seeming almost seven feet tall, carrying a rifle. Aneilla looked around and saw Tifa, holding Marlene close to her, both of them against the wall next to the bar.

"Who are you people?" Vincent asked coldly, aiming his gun at the woman.

"We're looking for Cloud Strife," the woman said, her voice monotone. "Tell us where he is?"

"We don't know," Tifa said, glaring at the two intruders.

"What do you want with Cloud?" Aneilla asked, standing alongside Vincent, holding her gun at ready.

"Tell us where he is," the woman said again, this time pointing her sword at Tifa and Marlene.

"Leave them alone," Cloud said, coming in from the back room, sword drawn out and held in front of him. Red XIII followed close behind, standing beside Aneilla, growling softly.

"Cloud!" Marlene cried out.

"Get out," Cloud snarled, getting between the two girls and the woman.

"Now, now… no need to get angry…" a cool voice said from behind the man and woman. "I just need a few questions answered." Aneilla watched as a young man, maybe a year older than herself, walk in from behind the two. He had porcelain skin, golden eyes and untidy, bronze-colored hair. But his eyes startled Aneilla, made her freeze up in her place. His eyes glowed softly with Mako light.

"My name is James," the man introduced himself. "I am…"

"A Mako Eyed…" Aneilla finished for him in a soft voice.


	6. Chapter 5: Transformation

_Another Mako Eyed? _Vincent thought as the young man turned to Aneilla when she spoke. Sure enough, the kid had the soft glow of Mako in his topaz eyes and he looked to be old enough to have been in the fire twenty years ago. _But he could still be a threat... His little buddies threatened to hurt one of our own. We can't trust him... yet._

The man, James, stared at Aneilla, eyes widening when he noticed her eyes. His jaw worked for a bit and he finally managed to get out, "You… you're a Mako Eyed?"

Aneilla didn't say anything, but she nodded. Vincent lowered his gun, but stayed ready to bring it up again if needed.

James blinked and shook his head. "I can't believe it," he said. "I thought I was the last…"

"So did I," Aneilla told him, her voice breathless.

James looked at his two comrades and gestured for them to lower their weapons. They did and Cloud lowered his as well, but, like Vincent, stayed cautious in case they tried anything. James then turned back to Aneilla and asked, "How did you get out?"

"Nanaki rescued me," Aneilla said, gesturing to the wolf-lion beside her. "And he took care of me for my first sixteen years, until he was captured by Hojo."

James chuckled and shook his head. "So you got out of there easy… Lucky you… I have to crawl out of the fallen, burning rubble, which nearly killed me. An elderly woman found me half dead and cared for me."

"I'm sorry…" Aneilla said softly.

James waved a hand and said, "Water under the bridge… now, back to the reason I came, not that I'm ecstatic that there is another Mako Eyed…" James turned to Cloud, who tensed, ready for an attack. "I came here for answers, some that you may know: what do you know of the Mako Eyed?"

Cloud chuckled and said coldly, "You threaten my family, my friends, bust into the bar, just for that."

James shrugged and said, "We could have come while you slept, and kidnapped that little girl there."

Vincent snarled and raised his gun up again. Surprisingly, Aneilla did as well, her blue eyes glowing a little more brightly than before. _She's getting the same vibe I am from this guy: bad news._ As the two of them did so, the black man and the woman faced the two of them, weapons raised.

"Vincent, Aneilla, it's alright," Cloud said, waving a hand at them, telling them to lower their weapons. He then looked at James and said, "Try that, and I'll slit your throat."

James smiled and then gesture to the woman. "I wouldn't try that, Soldier… Nemo here can move much faster than you. She can kill those two pretty girls before you can even get the edge of your blade to my skin. Now, we can do this nicely, or we can get messy… either way, I want my answers… what do you know?"

"Not much," Cloud told him bitterly. "Just that you were part of a project that branched off of Sephiroth. We're probably just as clueless as you are.

James snorted softly before turning to Vincent. "What about you, Turk?"

"I was asleep in the Shinra Mansion's basement when you were born, so I didn't know about you until a few years later after I woke up," Vincent said.

"And you know nothing?" James asked Aneilla.

"Only what they know," Aneilla snapped.

James frowned and held his hands up, reacting to Aneilla's sudden coldness. "I'm not the enemy here, Aneilla," he told her. "You and me, we're on the same side."

"That depends…"

James stared at Aneilla and asked, "Do you want answers as well, as to why you were brought into this world and how?"

"I know how," Aneilla said, "but I do want to know the why. But if it involves threatening innocents, then I'll stay in the dark."

James laughed and said, "What can they do about it? We're faster, stronger and, not to mention, smarter then they are. We are a completely different species of human." He then held out a hand to Aneilla and said, "Come with me, Aneilla. Together, we can find the answers."

Vincent watched as Aneilla stared at the hand that was offered to her. He could see the dilemma running through her head. Here was one of her own kind, offering her a chance to be able to find all the answers to her questions, but at the same time, this man had threatened the people she had come to care about, not to mention that he gave off an eerie vibe. Aneilla lowered her weapon, eyes lowered to the floor. "I…" she stammered.

"Come on, Aneilla," James said softly. "Together, we can get back at Shinra for what he did to us."

Aneilla's head shot up and she asked, "Is it answers you want, or a way to get to Shinra?"

James smiled slightly and said, "You are definitely a Mako Eyed, to catch that. Yes, I want to get into Shinra, to find answers, but to also get back at those bastards for what they did."

Aneilla stepped back, shaking her head. "As much as I hate Shinra," she said, "I don't plan on attacking them. I just want to try to live my life…"

James burst into laughter at that. "'Live your life'? How can you, when you have to spend the rest of it hiding from them?"

"I'm doing fine the way I am now…"

"Living with humans?"

"We're human too…"

"Keep telling yourself that," James said, "and you'll end up back in Shinra's clutches."

"Look, I'll help you with finding answers, but that's it," Aneilla said. "I'm not about to risk my neck." She then looked at Cloud and said, "And you guys are going to help me, right?"

Cloud nodded and said, "We said we would before and nothing's changed."

Aneilla nodded and James scoffed angrily. "You expect me to stand here and watch one of my own dwindle down to nothing when you can rise like a Phoenix into glory? I'll show you our power, Aneilla, and then you can make your final decision."

Vincent watched as the man started to glow with a flaming black and gold aura. Dragon-like wings burst from his back as he advanced towards Marlene and Tifa. Cloud swung his sword up and started towards James, but the Mako Eyed threw up a hand and a blast of power sent Cloud flying to the side, hitting the bar with a cracking sound. Cloud collapsed to the floor, unconscious. "Cloud!" Tifa cried, and then faced James, holding Marlene close. Vincent pointed Cerberus at James and fired. The bullets headed towards James, but the man turned slightly towards Vincent and held up a hand. The bullets stopped in mid air and with a flick of his wrist, James sent them hurtling back at Vincent. They struck him in the chest and Vincent stumbled backwards, Cerberus dropping from his hand as he clutched his chest. He stumbled against the wall, looking down to see blood blossoming from the bullet wounds.

Vincent then heard a growl in front of him, something that even made James stop. Vincent looked up and was shocked to see Aneilla glowing with a pulsing, ruby red light. Red slowly backed away from Aneilla, muttering, "Oh no…"

"Red…" Vincent gasped, talking sending pain throughout his body. "What's… what's happening?"

"She's changing…" Red spoke softly. "Her other ability… this is it."

Vincent turned back to Aneilla and the last thing he remembered seeing before the pain took him was Aneilla's once blue eyes glowing a fearsome red.

* * *

"How dare you?" the once innocent looking woman said in a voice filled with rage. "How dare you hurt my friends, my family?"

James stepped back and he could sense Nemo and Bear becoming uneasy with this turn of events. When they came to the bar, James had expected to get the answers he needed, using force if he had to. But seeing another Mako Eyed here changed everything. But when he realized that the girl was content living amongst humans, he grew angry. He had thought that finding another Mako Eyed would mean more help in taking out Shinra and getting his revenge, but the girl wanted nothing to do with his plan. So he had made the decision to try to force her to come to his side. Instead, he unleashed a monster. _It's obvious that she hasn't gained control of her power,_ he thought.

He turned to face the woman as the power surrounding her grew and began to whip her hair and clothing about as if she was in a strong wind. Before James could get a grip on the situation, Aneilla lunged at him, snarling viciously. She collided into him, sending them both through one of the windows.

James pushed himself to his feet and faced her. She had stood up as well, the light still pulsing around her. As he watched, ruby red dragon wings unfurled from her back, stretching out as wide as possible. Her eyes glowed brightly in the darkness. James faced her, drawing in more of his own power, but something inside of him told him that it wasn't gong to be enough. _Her power stream... it's endless! How was she able to contain that much power and keep it hidden? How come I never was able to sense her power and know of her until now!?_

As James thought, Aneilla suddenly disappeared from in front of him, only to reappear behind him. James just had enough time to raise an arm, shielded with magic, to block her attack. _Flash Step!? How in the Ancients can she already use that ability!? I can't even use that yet!_ James dodged her attacks, one by one, and delivered some of his own, but she was fast in blocking them. He swiped at her legs and she took flight, spreading her winds wide and catching the wind currents. James went after her and they faced off in the sky. He could see her eyes glowing, red and cat-like, and he watched as she raised a hand that glowed brightly with fire. He wasn't quick enough to block the blast of fire she sent at him. He spun in mid air, feeling the flame singe his clothing and before he could turn around, she had him by the throat and she threw him down, sending him through an old warehouse roof.

James smashed through the beams and hit the surface, his fall broken by several crates that hurt, but were better than concrete. The drop would have killed a normal human, but James was nothing more than badly injured and he also knew that he was beaten. He looked up through the hole in the roof and could see Aneilla hovering in the sky, the moon behind her. She stared down at him for a while before she disappeared, no doubt Flash Stepping off somewhere. James groaned softly and the world started to blacken around him. Before he slipped into unconsciousness, he smiled and whispered, "You may have won this time, Aneilla, but you just started a war with the wrong man…"

* * *

"You sure that old man was talking about Aneilla?" Cid asked, taking a drag off his cigarette.

"The description fit the one Tifa gave us of Aneilla before she disappeared," Vincent said softly. The wound in his chest still pained him, but he healed quickly and after using a restore materia to regain his strength, he was ready to set out. Cloud on the other hand had still been unconscious when Vincent left. The young man had taken quite a hit and whenever he did wake up, he was going to need some rest. _And a great deal of pain meds,_ Cid had said.

"I can't believe that Aneilla would become a monster like that," Yuffie said, her shuriken strapped to her back. "Is that what it was like the first time, Red?"

Red XIII shook his head before sighing. "No… this time it was worse… She had used magic and other abilities that I had never seen her do before. And the wings were new as well."

"We'll just be careful," Vincent said, "if we find her."

The four of them were in the cliffs near Nibelheim after they had gotten a tip from an old man back in Edge saying that he had seen Aneilla fly in this direction. Red had said that he had a feeling she would come here, seeing as this was one of the places she and Red lived when he cared for her. So taking the Shera to make the trip, the four of them now set out on foot through the forest terrain, looking up at the cliffs and all around for their lost friend. _And hopefully, _Vincent thought, _she's back to normal._

They searched for an hour before Vincent stopped, a cliff before them. "Wait," he said softly. Yuffie, Cid and Red stopped and turned to him, confused looks on their faces. Vincent stood still, motioning for them to be silent. He listened, straining his ears to hear the slightest sound. He was sure that he had heard something, like the scraping of rocks up above.

"Vince," Yuffie asked in a hushed voice, "what is it?"

Vincent shook his head. "Nothing, I guess. I thought I heard something…" He was cut off as something very large flew right overhead, the force of the wind trail it left making them stumble.

"What the hell?!" Cid yelled, ducking.

Vincent looked up as what ever it was landed on top of the cliff in front of them. It was a large dark mass that stretched large powerful wings out to its sides and he could hear the sound of claws scraping rock. The moon came out from behind a cloud and cast its light on a large, ruby red dragon.

It was about as tall as a large elephant, its neck was a good three yards long, body at least ten yards and its tail a bit longer. Its scales shimmered like gemstones and its talons were ivory. Spikes grew down the neck, along the spine and tail, the tip having two blade-like spikes coming from it. The dragon had two horns on its head pointing towards the back and both horns and spikes were a deep blood red in color. As they watched, it reared back on its hind legs, stretching its neck up high, its wings spread out as far as they could go. It was the most terrifying, but beautiful, creature Vincent had ever seen.

Cid's cigarette dropped from his mouth as it went slack and Yuffie let out a loud gasp. Vincent stared up at the dragon as it lifted its head and let out a loud bellowing roar. It then lowered its head and crouched like a lion, staring at them with glowing crimson eyes. It looked at each of them before its eyes rested on Vincent. The dragon then let out a hiss as it spoke. _"Chaos..." _it said in an all too familiar voice.

"Omigosh," Yuffie exclaimed, "it's Aneilla!"

"How in the bloody hell…" Cid cursed.

"This must be the form she takes," Red said softly, gazing up at the dragon. "But how is this possible?"

"Hojo put more than Jenova cells in her, in all of the Mako Eyed…" Vincent guessed.

The dragon growled deeply, spreading her wings wide, but remained in her crouched position. _"Chaos..." _she snarled again, glaring at Vincent.

"Not Chaos," Vincent said, holstering Cerberus. "It's Vincent, Aneilla… remember?"

The dragon lifted her head slightly, tilting it to the side. _"Vincent?" _she asked.

Vincent nodded and said, "That's right."

The dragon straightened and glided down. Yuffie, Cid and Red moved out of the way as Aneilla landed in front of Vincent. She lowered her head down close to him and blew hot air at him through her nose. _"Chaos stench rolls off of you in waves..." _the dragon snarled. _"You are Chaos..."_

"Chaos is inside of me, that's why you can smell him," Vincent told her. It was obvious that Aneilla didn't recognize them at the moment. _If I can get her to remember, perhaps she will be able to control the transformations._ "But I am Vincent… I taught you how to fight, to wield a gun. Cloud taught you how to use materia to control your Black Magic. We took you in and Tifa is letting you stay at the bar. We've become your family. You had transformed to protect us from James."

"_James!" _the dragon growled. _"He threatened my family... tried to hurt them..."_

"Yes, and that was us," Vincent said.

The dragon tossed up her head, growling, but Vincent could start to see recognition in her eyes. _"Chaos..."_

"No, Vincent…"

"_Vincent?"_

"Yes, and Cid, Yuffie and Red… Nanaki," Vincent added, gesturing to the other three.

Red stepped forward and looked up at the dragon. "Aneilla," he said. "Aneilla, you must come back to your senses…"

The dragon lowered her head to touch noses with the one eyed wolf-lion. _"Nanaki?" _she said softly.

"Yes…"

The dragon groaned and she muttered, _"So tired..."_ She then started to glow with a glittering red light that covered her, hiding her from view. The light grew smaller until it faded, leaving an unconscious Aneilla lying on the ground. Vincent crouched next to her, lifting her in his arms. The girl had changed some in appearance. Her once silver hair was now ruby red like the dragon's scales and had grown in length; it was now down to her elbows and had a slight wave to it. Vincent ran his fingers through her hair, muttering, "Aneilla…" The girl moaned, but it looked like she wasn't going to wake up.

"She's drained," Red said, nuzzling Aneilla's hair with his muzzle. "We should take her home."

"We're going to need a hell of a bigger house…" Cid said, running a hand over his unshaven jaw.

"What are we going to tell the others?" Yuffie asked, shock still apparent on her face.

"The truth," Vincent said, standing up with Aneilla in his arms. "We have to let them know what Aneilla can turn into."

"Why now?" Cid asked, looking at the unconscious girl in Vincent's arms. "Why the hell now did she fully transform? Why didn't she do it the first time?"

"Her power must have awakened," Red said. "That other Mako Eyed, James, his power is already starting to awaken. I don't think it happened this fast, which is why Aneilla is completely drained, but you know that he's gained control over it."

"Or it has control over him," Vincent stated. He then turned and started heading back. "Come on, the others are waiting… we'll discuss this more when we get back."


	7. Chapter 6: Training

"A dragon?" Cloud asked from where he sat at the bar, nursing a bruised torso and a few sprained ribs.

Vincent nodded from where he leaned against the wall. "That's right…"

"It was amazing!" Yuffie exclaimed. "Well… in a terrifying, going-to-wet-myself way, but amazing. She was so… so…"

"Beautiful," Cid finished for her.

"But how?" Barret asked. "How can she change into a dragon?"

"She's like me," Vincent said. He had thought it over during the trip back and it was the only conclusion he could come up with. "Just like how Chaos genes were put into me, the same must have happened with the Mako Eyed. Hojo not only injected the unborn children with Mako and Jenova cells, but he must have somehow put dragon genes or cells in them as well."

"Which is why Shinra said the experiment was a failure…" Tifa started, realization spreading on her face.

"…because the kids showed no sign of dragon abilities," Cloud finished.

Vincent nodded and said, "That's what I believe, but we'll have to find out."

"We can always give Reeve a call," Red said. "I bet he could get a hold of those files."

"Or he might actually know a little more about the project," Barret added.

Cloud stood up slowly, wincing as he did. "I'll give Reeve a call right now," he said, heading towards his office, "and explain what's going on. I'll tell him to keep quiet about it to."

Vincent nodded before turning to the stairs. "I'm going to see how she's doing," he said.

"Be careful Vince," Cid warned, "in case she gets all fangy again."

Vincent only grunted before heading up the steps. As he walked by Cloud's office, he could hear the blonde talking on the phone. Vincent kept going until he got to Aneilla's room. He quietly opened the door and slipped inside. He walked over to the bed where Aneilla was still sleeping, her breathing calm and deep. She wore a spaghetti strap top with blue jeans, her now red hair fanning over the pillow. Vincent sat in a chair beside her and gazed at her for a while. "You and me have more in common than I thought," he said softly. He reached out and touched the side of her face. "You didn't deserve what was done to you…" As he slowly removed his hand, Aneilla moaned softly before opening her eyes. Vincent had a sharp intake of breath when he saw that her once blue eyes were now as crimson as his own, only hers glowed softly from Mako.

She blinked a few times before turning her head to look at him. "Vincent?"

"Yeah," Vincent said, "it's me."

Aneilla blinked and then she sat up slowly, drawing her knees to her chest as she did. Wrapping her arms around them, she stared out the window, eyes looking fearful. "How many did I hurt?" she asked softly.

"Besides James," Vincent told her, "no one."

Aneilla looked at him and sighed softly. She then smiled slightly and said, "I remember…"

"What?"

"I remember what happen, towards the end, before I blacked out. It's kinda fuzzy, but I remember seeing you. You helped bring me back. I remember facing you, calling you Chaos… I remember what I transformed into…"

Vincent nodded and said, "Do you think you can control it now?"

Aneilla frowned for a moment, looking down at the comforter. Suddenly, wings sprouted from her back, not as large as they were in her dragon form, but the same shade of red. "Guess I can," she said softly as she folded the wings to her back. She then buried her face in her arms, muttering, "What am I going to do?"

"Don't worry," Vincent said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Cloud is talking to someone on the phone now who might be able to help us find out more about the Mako Children Project. We're going to be here for you and help you. As for James… well, we might have to deal with him later on…"

Aneilla looked up at Vincent, anger blazing in her eyes. "He's not dead?" she asked.

Vincent shook his head. "We never found a body," he told her. "We're guessing his lackeys took him after you disappeared."

Aneilla nodded and looked back towards the window. "Do Tifa and the others want me to leave?" she asked suddenly.

"No, they don't," Vincent said. "Why do you ask that?"

"Well," Aneilla said, "I could have hurt one of them… not intentionally, but while I was fighting James. I thought that they wouldn't want me around after what happened tonight."

"They want you to stay," Vincent told her, "and if they didn't… I would take you in."

Aneilla whipped her head around and looked at him. "You would?"

Vincent nodded. "We're a lot alike; in a sense… guess I feel some sort of connection between us…"

Aneilla smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean. We both have demons inside of us… well, dragon in me, whatever you would call that… but still…" She then chuckled softly and said, "And James said that no one would understand me except him. He really doesn't know anything."

"He doesn't, except hate, and the want for revenge."

Aneilla looked at Vincent and asked, "Do you think he'll end up like Sephiroth?"

"I don't know," Vincent said. "I guess time will tell."

* * *

"Holy…" Cid yelled as he ducked from Aneilla's attack. "Woman, will ya slow down! I can't fucking keep up with you!

Aneilla pulled back, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry Cid," she told him.

"Right… let's try this again…" Cid then swung up his spear and swiped at Aneilla. Aneilla jumped up, dodging the attack and landed on the spear-tip. She then jumped again, only to kick Cid in the back of the head and shoulders as she went over him. "Damn it!" Cid hollered as he fell forward.

"This is incredible," Reeve Tuesti said as he watched Aneilla train with Cid in the backyard of the bar. Cloud stood beside him, watching Reeve's expression as he watched the Mako Eyed kick the crap out of Cid. "And this isn't even her full power?"

"No," Cloud said, shaking his head as Cid started cursing again. "I don't know anyone who would be able to take her at her full strength… except maybe Vincent in Chaos form, or him as himself even."

Reeve nodded and then asked, "Where is Vincent?"

"He went off to see if he can find James, that other Mako Eyed," Cloud said. "We've been searching for the past three days, but with no success. This guy knows how to hide."

"Why are you bothering to look for him?"

"Just so we know where he is…"

"That's it!" Cid yelled, throwing his spear down. "I can't do this if I can't even lay a hit on the damn woman! Sorry Cloud, but I have bruises _and_ a headache I now have to nurse!" And with that, the pilot stormed back into the bar.

Aneilla sighed and plopped down on the ground, her red hair catching the faint breeze. "Now what?" she asked.

"Well…" Cloud said, running a hand through his hair.

"I'll train with her," Vincent said, walking past the two men and making them jump slightly.

"Jeez, Vincent, give us a warning next time," Cloud said.

Vincent gave Cloud a look as Aneilla jumped back to her feet. Vincent turned to face her and stood in a fighting position. "Give me everything you have…" he told her. "…without transforming," he then added as an afterthought.

Aneilla nodded and she took her stance. The two faced each other for a moment before Aneilla disappeared. Reeve gasped and Cloud only smirked as Aneilla reappeared behind Vincent. Vincent spun around to block her attack and deliver one of his own. Aneilla sprang out of the way and then jumped back in. Cloud and Reeve watched in silence as the two battled it out with no weapons, no magic, just regular martial arts. But it was enough to show what kind of power Aneilla possessed and Cloud could see the amazement in Reeve's eyes.

"If Rufus got word of her…" Reeve started to say.

"He can't know, Reeve," Cloud said, looking at the man beside him. "I don't trust the man and he could try anything if he gets wind of Aneilla. She's now in danger as it is, if James goes through with his plan in attacking Shinra."

"Can the other Mako Eyed, James, use the same power as Aneilla?"

"Don't know, but what he did use was powerful. If we do end up facing him, he's going to be tough."

Reeve sighed and said, "Well, the best way in defeating your enemy is knowing them, and unfortunately our enemy is the same as someone on our side, so whatever he finds out about himself he can use against Aneilla. This is going to be a bigger problem than Sephiroth ever was."

"Depends," Cloud said with a slight grimace. "If we take out James and he comes back, then it'll defiantly be worse."

The two men turned back as Aneilla kicked Vincent in the chest, knocking him down to the ground. The young woman then sat down on his chest and brought a fist back that started to glow with fire. She grinned down at Vincent and said, "I win."

"Congratulations, Vince," Yuffie said as she walked out, carrying two water bottles. "You just got your ass kicked by a girl."

"Vince lost!?" Cid yelled, coming back out, holding an icepack to the back of his head.

"Thanks, Yuffie…" Vincent said as Aneilla helped him up.

"No problem," the ninja said, tossing Aneilla a bottle.

"Well then," Reeve said with a chuckle as Vincent glared at Yuffie, "I'll be heading back. I'll give you a call if I find anything."

"Do you think you'll find something?" Aneilla asked, looking at Reeve uneasily. Cloud knew that she didn't trust the man as of yet.

"Don't worry, Aneilla," Reeve assured her. "I'll find something, even if I have to break into Shinra's records myself. And I'll also make sure Rufus doesn't hear of you, and if he does somehow, learn of what you are."

Aneilla nodded and after Reeve shook hands with Cloud, Cid and Vincent, the man left. "Can we trust him?" Aneilla asked, looking at Cloud.

"He has been trustworthy for the time we've known him," Cloud said.

"Alright," Aneilla said. She tossed her water bottle from one hand to the other and then looked up at Vincent. "Did you find him?" she asked, and they all knew who they were talking about.

Vincent shook his head. "No, I didn't… and no one has heard of him before. The man knows how to keep hidden."

"Guess we're good at that," Aneilla thought, thinking of the years she had kept hidden from the world.

"So now what?" Yuffie asked.

"We wait," Cloud said. "When Reeve finds the answers we're looking for, then we'll think up what to do next."

* * *

Aneilla was lying in her room, one of her arms folded under her head, the darkness closing in around her as night started to fall. She played with a few strands of her hair, watching as it caught the last rays of sunlight as it filtered through her window. She sighed and closed her eyes, thoughts spinning through her head. She held up a hand, flecking her fingers as it started to pulse with red light. _Why a dragon?_ Aneilla thought. _Why did Hojo enable us to transform into dragons?_ So many new questions and none of them could be solved until they found the answers. _And what about James? Will he try to come after me again, or try to get into Shinra like he said he was going to? He wanted me to go with him, so much so that he threatened to hurt Marlene and Tifa, and had hurt Cloud and Vincent. Will he try to get at me again, try to force me to join him? _Aneilla frowned and then shook her head. _I won't join him, even if he is Mako Eyed..._

"_The darkness inside of him is even greater than it was in Sephiroth... he will be a formidable enemy..."_

Aneilla shot up in bed, calling out into the darkness, "Who's there?"

"_...but do not be afraid, little one, for I am with you..."_

"Who are you?" Aneilla whispered. She suddenly felt a warm sensation in her chest, near her heart.

"_I am the dragon that's inside of you. The dragon that rages in you is my reincarnation. I had lived many thousands of years ago, and when I died, I was soon reborn into you and have lain dormant inside of you until your powers, as well as the dragon inside of you, was awakened. And when your fear of the people you cared about getting hurt, you awakened me and I took over to protect you and grant your wish of protecting them."_

"So you can teach me?" Aneilla asked the dragon.

"_Yes, and when you are ready, I will return to the lifestream to rest in peace for all eternity."_

"But how can you teach me?"

"_I will guide you through our ways and show you how to perform the magic you have awakened. When I leave you, you will have full control over your power and the dragon in you. For now, I am here to help you control both."_

Aneilla fell back onto the pillow, covering her face with her hands. "This is so… confusing…"

The dragon chuckled and said, _"Do not worry... I will help you... Now, I want you to go outside... your training starts now."_

Aneilla frowned and asked, "Now?"

"_Yes..."_

Aneilla sighed and she got up out of bed. She quietly opened the door and peeked down the hallway. It was dark, meaning everyone was in bed. As silently as possible, she slipped downstairs and out of the bar. By the dragon's instructions, she made her way into the wastelands outside of Edge where there was enough space to maneuver. She stopped next to a cliff and jolted when the dragon spoke again.

"_Now... transform..."_

Aneilla bit her lip and said, "I… I don't know how…"

"_Can you feel my presence inside of yourself?"_

"Yeah…"

"_Well, reach down to that part and pull it out, like you would when you use that materia for magic. Be calm and take your time."_

Aneilla sighed and nodded. She took a deep breath before reaching inside, concentrating on that warm spot in her chest. She imagined pulling at it, drawing out the power and she began to feel a tingling in her skin. She gasped and she sensed the dragon smile. _"That's it, little one..." _Aneilla sighed and tried again, this time, drawing in more of that power. With the help of the dragon, she allowed the warmth to spread through her body and out some as wings and a tail form. She felt her body grow and her senses changing as well. When it was done, Aneilla opened her eyes and saw the world seem to shift with colors more clear and focused she could ever imagine. She turned her head and blinked as she saw that her body was that of a ruby red dragon. _"I did it,"_ she exclaimed.

"_Yes, you did... well done. Now changing back is the same, only you compress that power back inside of yourself. Do not worry... in time, the transformations will be quicker, almost instantaneously. But let's take things slow... try moving around; get use to your bearings."_

Aneilla started walking around, remembering that she now had four legs to maneuver and a tail behind her. After a few minutes, with the help of the dragon, she was able to move easily on the ground and control her wings and tail. Then came the dragon's next instructions: _"Now... fly."_

"_Fly!?" _Aneilla squeaked, stopping dead. _"I... I'm not sure about the flying part yet..."_

"_It's fine, just spread your wings, and jump in the air a little while beating them against the wind. You can do it... I'm here to help you."_

Aneilla nodded and she spread her wings out. She crouched low, raising her wings as she did and sprang skyward, flapping them down as she did. She continued to beat her wings as she took to the air, the dragon telling her, _"Now, use your tail like you would a rudder on a boat to control where you want to go." _Aneilla did, shifting her tail just slightly as she steered herself up higher into the air. She looked down and her eyes widened as she saw Edge and Midgar from up above. Allowing herself to soar with the wind currents, she used her long tail to steer herself through the air, beating her wings every so often to give herself a boost of speed. Within the half hour, Aneilla loved flying as she soared over the cliffs and wastelands outside the city. When the dragon had her land, it told her to steer toward the ground and then tilt up at the last minute, tilting her wingtips down to ease herself to the ground. Aneilla did so, landing a little roughly.

"_That was good, but we will work on it," _the dragon praised her. It had her change back, which Aneilla found a bit easier than changing to. Then Aneilla started to head back home, the dragon speaking to her as she did, _"We will train more later. For now, get some rest and do not let your friends know of my teachings to you until I say. I don't want them to distract you while you are just starting out."_

Aneilla nodded and then a thought occurred to her. "Do you know anything about the Mako Eyed, or why they were created the way they were?"

She heard the dragon sigh and say, _"No, I do not. I was surprised to find that you were actually a human instead of a dragon. I guess the dragons are truly gone from this world and the only ones left are the ones in you and that other man."_

"I'm sorry," Aneilla said.

"_Don't be, for you should be proud to have dragon blood running through your veins. But you must know that you may have to go against the other Mako Eyed. Do not allow him to control you, Aneilla, because I don't see him heading anywhere but into darkness. When the time comes, you will fight him, and possibly truly become the last."_ And with that, the dragon became silent and Aneilla didn't hear from it again.


	8. Chapter 7: Through My Eyes

"I swear to you, that bitch is going to pay!" James snarled as the healer, Lynda, tended to his wounds. His jet black wings hung limply and were tattered from the fall through the roof and the impact into the crates. His body was battered and he figured he had a few broken ribs. Lynda had been tending to him for the past four days and despite his quick healing abilities, he was still in bad shape.

"At least you don't look like a walking corpse anymore," Lynda said in a thickly accented voice. Her pale blonde hair was pulled back in a long French braid, her royal blue eyes focused on the task at hand.

"She is a Mako Eyed, yet she is siding with humans, humans that helped Shinra several months ago!" James roared, topaz eyes flashing. "And she fought against me, her own species. I'm all she has now, the only Mako Eyed left, but she turns me down for humans!"

"There could be more out there, James," Nemo said from where she stood near the infirmary door. "You thought that you were the last, but we come across another."

"Perhaps, but I don't have the time to look," James said as Lynda finished. He stood up, wincing as he did, but forced himself to pace, the wings on his back twitching slightly from jolts of pain every now and then. "Strife was a lost cause, which I figured he might be. Valentine was useless as well because he was close to dead when the project began. So we are back to square one… again!"

"What about Reeve Tuesti?" Nemo asked. "Although he's friends with Strife and his gang, he may be able to get where they cannot. I wouldn't be surprised if they already contacted them."

James looked at Nemo and smiled. "Well then," he said, "when I'm fully healed, we'll have to pay Tuesti a visit then."

"And what about Aneilla?"

James's smiled turned to a frown. "She will join our forces, one way or the other. Even if I have to force her to join us, she will join."

"You may have to use force… perhaps if you threaten the life of the one she treasures the most out of that group?"

James nodded and said, "That might be the way… we'll give it time."

"And when we do get her," Nemo said, "how will we make her listen to our commands?"

"We'll just have to keep that person hostage, wouldn't we?" James said with a smile. "I will have my revenge, Nemo, and I will do everything I can to get it."

* * *

Aneilla swooped high above Cosmos Canyon, performing twists and turns that would suffice in aerial battle. She had been training in secret with the dragon inside of her for over a week now, slipping out during the night and slipping back in before dawn. Aneilla was able to do spins, flips, dodges and dives through the air that she wouldn't have been able to do before. She was quite pleased with the progress she had made, and so was her teacher.

"_Very well done, but your training is just beginning. There is so much for you to learn before you are ready to fly on your own."_

Aneilla swooped over to a cliff and, with a twist of her wings, landed with ease on the ledge. She stretched her neck and let out a soft croon before looking across the canyon, at the place she had once called home.

The Cosmos Canyon was where Nanaki had taken her when he pulled her from the burning orphanage. They had lived here for years, in peace, and she was never bored. Every day she would venture out and explore the canyon and all of its small crevices and caves. By the time she was ten years old, she knew this place better than anywhere else. _And I still do, _she thought. The people who lived in the village of Cosmos Canyon had treated both her and Nanaki well. Aneilla remembered the few times a week she would go there for supplies and food and how they would always wave and give a cheery hello. Aneilla had been happy living there and was sad when they left. They left the canyon when she was fourteen and traveled to the cliffs near Nibelheim where, two years later, Nanaki was kidnapped by Hojo and taken to the lab in Midgar. Aneilla had been devastated losing the only one she considered her family and she had tried searching for him, but gave up when she knew that Nanaki's capture would have been in vain if she was taken as well. She knew that Nanaki had done everything he could so Hojo wouldn't hear about her. So she slipped into the slums of Midgar and lived out her life there until Nanaki found her a year before Kadaj and his gang showed up. She had been so happy to see him alright and couldn't stop hugging him for hours on end.

"_You were lucky,"_ the dragon said, interrupting her thoughts. _"You were lucky Nanaki saved you and took care of you for all those years, or else you would be dead now."_

"_I know," _Aneilla said, looking up at the sky and at the millions of stars that scattered across it. _"And I am grateful to Nanaki and owe him so much." _She then sighed and stretched her wings. She then froze as she sensed another presence nearby. She growled and whipped her head towards several rocks below her. _"Show yourself!" _she snarled. There was a moment before the person in hiding came out from behind the rocks. Aneilla jolted slightly when she saw who it was. _"Vincent!" _she gasped.

Vincent looked up at her, arms crossed over his chest. "So," he said, voice monotone, "this is what you have been doing the past week and a half."

Aneilla whisked her tail back and forth in nervousness. _I've been found out..._ she thought. But then she realized that she had done nothing wrong, so she lowered her head, stretching her neck until she was a few feet from Vincent's face. _"It's none of your business," _she huffed.

Vincent raised his eyebrows slightly and asked, "Not my business?"

"_Yes..."_

"We have been the ones protecting you, and yet you sneak off during the night without telling us, and you say that it's none of my business?" Vincent glared at her and said, "Let me remind you that Cloud was hurt, Tifa and Marlene were threatened and I was shot because of you. Is this how you repay us? Sneaking off and goofing around where people can see you…"

"_I'm _not_ goofing off!" _Aneilla snarled, although she was starting to feel guilt from what Vincent said, because he was right. _"I'm training!"_

"What?"

Aneilla sighed and shifted her position, getting comfortable. The dragon inside of her said, _"You must tell him... I don't want him to get a wrong impression... tell him, but let him know that none of this must be spoken to anyone else until I say."_

Aneilla nodded and looked at Vincent. _"There is a spirit of a long dead dragon inside of me. You can say that the dragon I turn into is the reincarnation of him. He has been training me how to fly, fight and use the powers of the dragon. Once he is done training me, he will return to the lifestream to rest in peace forever. He told me not to tell any of you just yet because he didn't want me to become distracted from my lessons in the beginning, and although you know now, the others still can't. This is training that I must do on my own because no one can really help me. But I'm not doing it unsupervised, so you have nothing to worry about..." _She could see Vincent looking deep in thought, but his face showed nothing. _"Please, believe me Vincent. I wouldn't throw everything that you and the others have done for me aside."_

Vincent looked up at her and nodded. "I believe you," he told her and Aneilla felt relief bloom through her body, "and I won't tell the others until your teacher feels that it is time to do so."

Aneilla nodded and then she tilted her head slightly. _"How did you know that I've been sneaking off?"_

Vincent chuckled and said, "You maybe able to slip past the others unnoticed, but it's hard to do that when I'm around. We're somewhat alike, remember?"

Aneilla snorted and lifted her head up as the dragon inside of her spoke. _"Now that he knows," _the dragon said, _"he may be some help for your lessons. Instead of dodging invisible attacks, he could send some at you. Perhaps he can help you when the time comes for you to know what it's like to fly and fight with a rider."_

Aneilla whisked her tail and relayed the message to Vincent, who only nodded in agreement, saying he would help when she needed it. Then Aneilla spread her wings and took off into the sky, showing Vincent what she had learned thus far. Vincent sat on the cliff edge, golden clawed gauntlet arm resting on an upraised knee while his other hand rest beside him, close to Cerberus. The dragon taught Aneilla a few more things before they started to head back.

As Vincent walked through the canyon, Aneilla swooped around and above him. _"So," _she said as she twirled past him, low to the ground, _"still no sign of James or his men?"_

"None," Vincent said, looking up as Aneilla sped by in front of him before she took to the air again but staying in hearing range. "We may have to wait until he shows his face again."

"_If he ever does," _Aneilla pointed out. _"He must know by now that I have obtained close to my full power. He would be stupid to face me now, and will be until he reaches the same rank of power as me."_

"Perhaps," Vincent said as Aneilla swooped past him again. "Or he just may try to hurt you by attacking someone dear to you, to weaken you in spirit, other than strength."

Aneilla hovered a few feet in front of him, he hind legs touching the ground, moving her along as Vincent walked. _"You seemed to believe you know his motives."_

"As I am no different from you, I am no different from him," Vincent told her. "In fact, I am more like him than you; while you have a peaceful beast inside of you, I have a demon, just like him, and if I am right, he will be thinking just like his demon."

"_You are nothing like James," _Aneilla told him.

"Then you do not know me as well as you think…"

Aneilla frowned slightly, her red eyes narrowing as she studied him. She turned her body slightly towards the front. _"So be it," _she said before launching herself back into the air, the blast of air making Vincent's hair and cloak blow back. _"Or perhaps," _she then called down to him as she flew higher, _"you do not know yourself as well as you think."_ She then flew high into the sky, gliding as she thought. _Vincent really believes what he said..._

"_Then show him that he is wrong," _the dragon inside of her said. _"If your heart tells you that he isn't like that, then find a way to make his heart believe it. If there is one thing that you must remember about being a dragon, the power of the heart is much greater than any other power you may posses. If your heart tells you something, believe it."_

Aneilla nodded and then smirked slightly. _"I have an idea," _she said. _"Something that may lighten his mood." _ When she told the dragon her idea and he gave her approval to do it, Aneilla swooped back down to the earth, where she saw Vincent still walking. Coming up behind him and gliding low to the ground, she gently picked him up with a claw before he realized that she was there and took off up into the air again.

"Aneilla!" Vincent exclaimed as she lifted him up to the place where her neck and shoulders connected, the one place that was spike-free. "What are you doing?"

"_This," _Aneilla said, turning her head to look at him, _"is goofing off. Now hold on!"_ She then gave herself a burst of speed as she flew higher, feeling Vincent grip her at the sides of her neck as she did.

"Aneilla!" Vincent called out, settling himself and gripping the dragon at the shoulders with his legs. "Put me down!"

"_Geez, Vince, are you always this uptight?" _Aneilla asked as she glided high in the star scattered sky. _"Just relax and enjoy yourself."_

"You are not going to get away with this…" she heard Vincent grumble.

Aneilla laughed and said, _"Just hold on... we'll be back home soon." _She glided silently, over small villages and towns, the moonlight casting her shadow on the ground below. They flew over the cliffs by Nibelheim back towards Edge. When they got over Midgar, Aneilla slowed down and looked at the city below. She could sense Vincent's slight bewilderment at the glowing lights of the city. _"This is what it's like looking through my eyes," _she told him as they glided over Midgar. _"From up here, you wouldn't know about the pain and suffering people are going through. Up here, you can be at peace, even if it's just for a moment."_

"Hmm…" was all Vincent said as he stared down at the rebuilt city below them. Aneilla could feel a sort of calm emitting from Vincent and she smiled slightly to herself. Then she frowned when she sensed pain underneath the calm; pain and suffering. _How can I remove that from a heart, after it has been there for so many years? _She looked back at Vincent and noticed that the stony, emotionless mask that he usually had was missing for a moment. She could see the sadness and pain written on his face and in his eyes. She saw it a moment before he replaced the mask and looked at Aneilla. "You're lucky," he told her, "to have this peace to go to."

"_You can have it too, you know," _she told him.

"I can't… I have too many sins to be able to enjoy that peace."

"_What are your sins?"_

"I allowed Lucrecia to die," Vincent said softly.

Aneilla sighed softly and turned back to the front. _"Sins can be forgiven," _she told him. _"You just have to forgive yourself first. I'm sure Lucrecia has forgiven you, so now it's your turn."_

"You don't understand," Vincent said, "and you never will…"

"_Suit yourself..." _Aneilla said flatly before tilting slightly, heading towards Edge. _Perhaps Vincent is someone who will never forgive himself, or realize that he isn't what he believes himself to be, _she thought.

"_Or perhaps," _the dragon inside of her said, _"he has been alone for a very long time and has forgotten what it is like to have someone to care about him, to show him compassion."_

Aneilla flew in silence, neither her nor Vincent speaking again. Every time she glanced back, she could see Vincent deep in thought. Finally, Aneilla landed gently in the yard behind the bar, folding her wings to her sides as Vincent jumped down. Aneilla changed back into her original form, the process much quicker than the first time she did it on her own. She watched as Vincent slowly walked back to the bar and sighed. As she started to follow him, Vincent stopped and faced her. "Thank you for the ride," he said softly. "You fly well…"

Aneilla smirked and, placing a hand on her hip, she asked teasingly, "Did the great Vincent Valentine just give out a compliment?"

Vincent stared at her and Aneilla swore she saw his lips tilt in a slight smile in return. "Don't get use to it," he said before turning and walking inside.

Aneilla chuckled and looked skyward. The stars were beginning to fade as the dawn began to approach. With a smile, she turned back to the bar and went in, intending for at least five hours of sleep before starting a new day.

* * *

Reeve Tuesti was running through files in the old Shinra database on his computer. With the help of Cait Sith, he was able to go though it all without being tracked. _Don't want them to know what I'm up to._ He was hoping to find the file involving the Mako Children Project, hoping that Shinra or Hojo hadn't deleted it when the project was concluded a "failure". So far, he has had no luck.

Cloud and the others trusted him and he knew that if he couldn't find anything, then they would be stuck back on square one, leaving their only option being to confront Rufus Shinra himself, which Reeve knew that they didn't want to resort to that. If Rufus was to find out about Aneilla, who knew what he would try to do. Although the man had changed since Shinra fell and he gotten over the Geostigma illness that occurred a few months ago, the group still didn't trust him. Reeve was glad that Rufus was too involved in getting the Shinra Company up and running again, although with a great deal of changes to the company. It kept the man from noticing anything unusual, especially the appearance of a Mako Eyed. And if Rufus has noticed the new member of the old Avalanche team, he didn't really focus or question on it.

Reeve sighed as he leaned back in his chair. He closed his eyes for a moment, just to rest…

The chiming of his computer woke him up. Reeve sat up, rubbing his eyes as he thought, _How long was I asleep?_ The question soon flew out of his mind when he realized that the chiming was the signal, indicating that his computer found something. Reeve hit a few keys on the keyboard, bringing up a file that dated back over twenty years ago. As Reeve opened it up, Cait Sith jumped up onto the desk, his face lit up from the light of the screen. "What have we got?" he asked in his Scottish accented voice.

"Give me a moment…" Reeve said, scanning through the files and documents. Finally, he found what he was looking for, only it wasn't what he had expected. Reeve took out his phone and quickly dialed the well known number. As he waited for a pick up, his eyes never left the title of the document that held all the answers and then some.

"Cloud… this is Reeve… yes, I found something… yes, and you might want to come down here as quickly as you can…"


	9. Chapter 8: Dragon Child Project

"'The Mako Children Project' was just a cover up name," Reeve said to the others. "The Project was, in fact, actually called 'The _Dragon_ Children Project'. They used 'Mako Children' so the public wouldn't freak out at the thought of a human/dragon crossbreed." They were all in Reeve's office, the files Reeve found being projected onto a large screen so they could all see as he explained his findings.

"Well," Vincent said softly, "that explains why Aneilla can transform into a dragon. She was referred to as a dragon child, not mako…"

"Yes," Reeve said, nodding. "The project consisted of infusing the unborn child with Jenova cells and Mako, just like they did with Sephiroth, but one other 'ingredient' was added: the DNA of a pure dragon demon."

"Where did they find DNA of a pure dragon demon?" Cloud asked. "Pure dragons were said to have died out thousands of years ago. The only ones left now in the world are those dragon fiends."

"It states that Hojo came across an old dragon lair during some of his travels. There, he found the remains of a mother dragon and her clutch. He took back the eggs and, by opening them, found a fossilized form of a dragonet, close to the hatching stage, inside one of them. Somehow, he managed to draw out the DNA of the dragonet and create it into a living DNA strand that could be used. He had tried infusing it into a human during one of his human experiments, but the human died because the dragon basically tore the human apart inside because the human and the dragon DNA refused to become one."

"So that's why he decided to try it with an unborn child," Aneilla concluded. "The DNA of the human was still forming and piecing together, so adding the dragon DNA would allow the two strands to form into one strand."

"Yes," Reeve said. "The first child was born and after running a few test, Hojo concluded that the child was perfectly healthy. So he decided to create a few more, by cloning the dragon DNA and infusing it into other unborn children. Thus, the Dragon Children Project."

"So why was it concluded a failure?" Cloud asked.

"The children showed no signs of the dragon that should be inside of them. Sure, they were smarter and a bit faster than normal children, but those were expected, from the effects of the Jenova cells and Mako. But there were no signs of the dragon. Shinra concluded that it was a failure, that they only created children that would be identical to Sephiroth. So when the orphanage caught fire…"

"He let us burn…" Aneilla finished, eyes flashing.

"But it's obvious now that their powers were yet to awaken," Reeve said, nodding to Aneilla. "Seeing that you can now transform into a dragon and use your powers, it means that the dragon that is inside of you has been in rest for the past twenty-two years and has just awoken. I believe that it will be the same for James; the dragon is beginning to wake up, allowing him some of that power. Why you, Aneilla, had gained so much power and your dragon waking up so quickly while James is older than you, and has yet to fully awaken his power and dragon, I'm not exactly sure."

"Does it say anything more about the dragons?" Aneilla asked.

Reeve turned and scrolled down the document, scanning it quickly with his eyes, before saying, "It says that the dragons should differ per child. Although the DNA had come from one dragon, it was the DNA of all dragons, branching off to all types. That explains why you, Aneilla, are red when James is probably going to be black." Reeve continued to read, scrolling down the old document. Suddenly, he stopped, blinking slightly. "Well now," he said softly, "that is interesting…"

"What?" Vincent asked.

"Since dragons become immortal by their 150th year, which in our years would be 25, the Dragon Children will become immortal as well. When Aneilla turns 25 years old, she will stop aging and her powers will be at their fullest, neither shrinking nor raising after that point in time. Although she can be killed, it'll be much harder to do so than like a normal human, and she will live to be as old as any dragon, which is an unknown age because there is no record of a dragon dying of old age." Reeve looked at Aneilla and asked, "When is your birthday?"

"July 24…"

"That's coming up, so in about two years, you will become immortal."

"So she'll basically look how she is now, only a bit older, when she's like a hundred?" Cid asked.

"Yes…"

"Again, kinda like Vincent," Yuffie pointed out. "Kinda odd how it comes back to that…"

"There is no mention of Vincent in the files," Reeve said, looking back at the documents. "But I wouldn't be surprised if Hojo had Vincent in his mind while doing this experiment."

"If they realized that the Project would be a success once the children reached adulthood," Red said, "Shinra would have had an elite army of super powerful humans, more powerful than SOLDIER."

"But it wouldn't have changed things, with what happened to Shinra," Cloud pointed out. "When old man Shinra was killed and Rufus had taken over, Aneilla's power was just beginning to awaken and she had no control over it…"

"But," Vincent said softly, interrupting Cloud, "Aneilla had no training, which is why she couldn't control it. Imagine if Shinra found a way to help the Dragon Children to train and awaken their power much more quickly? We might have faced an army of the Dragon Children and would have had no idea on how to stop them, because they would be so much more powerful than us."

"We can't worry ourselves about what might have been," Aneilla said suddenly. Everyone looked at her as she walked over to the computer Reeve was at. "I have some of the answers I wanted, and odds are, James is going to want what I know as well. I suggest to you, Reeve, that you hide this information well so he can't find it. If he discovered any of this, we'll be in trouble… especially the immortal part…"

"Why is that?" Vincent asked.

Aneilla turned and looked at the others, crimson eyes glowing in the slightly darkened room. "Because, although I cannot locate it, I have been able to sense James's spirit signature. His day of birth passed a few days ago… he is now 25 years old, and an immortal."

* * *

Vincent aimed Cerberus at the sky, waiting and watching for the slightest movement. The skies were clear this night, full of brightly glowing stars. He was, once again, in the Cosmos Canyons and the only sounds that could be heard were the normal noises of the night. Vincent moved slowly and silently, slowly turning as he walked to watch for anything that came from the sky or from around him. _Alright, _he thought, _where are you?_

Vincent spun around and began to fire as a large form swept into the canyon from the cliffs above. The light from the gun fire reflected off of shimmering ruby-red scales as the large dragon twisted in flight, dodging the bullets as they were fired at her. She flipped in a circle and sped towards him, tilting her body from side to side as she flew. With a few beats of her wings, Aneilla shot a ball of fire at him from her nostrils. "Shit…" Vincent said and he dodged behind a large formation of boulders as the missile struck the ground, causing the canyon floor to explode where Vincent had been standing moments before. Vincent jumped up from his hiding spot and on top of the rocks. He began to fire through the dust and smoke. But before Vincent knew it, he felt a warm breeze behind him, indicating that Aneilla was behind him. He turned around just as the dragon swung her tail at him and wasn't quick enough to dodge the attack. The side of her tail slammed into his chest and Vincent flew across the canyon to strike the rocky wall, knocking the wind out of him. He collapsed to the floor, trying to gain his breath back.

"_Oh gosh, Vincent!" _Aneilla exclaimed, flying over and landing in front of him. She lowered her head down close to him, turning her head to look at him with one crimson eye. _"Are you alright?" _she asked, voice laced with worry.

Vincent nodded with a soft groan. "I'll be alright," he told her. He smiled slightly when Aneilla let out a soft moan of guilt. "Believe me, I have had worse."

"_I got carried away... I should have been more careful. I could have really hurt you."_

"You can't be worried about hurting your opponent in battle, Aneilla," Vincent told her as he stood up. "If you do, your enemy will kill you."

"_But you are my friend," _Aneilla said softly, pressing her muzzle to his chest, _"not my enemy... I am sorry that I hurt you."_

Vincent chuckled and patted her on the jaw. "You are forgiven," he told her. For a moment they stood there, neither saying anything. Vincent found himself gently rubbing the soften scales around Aneilla jaw, watching as the little light reflected off of the ruby surface, causing it to glow like the jewel its color was. Vincent couldn't help but think that Aneilla was a beautiful dragon… a beautiful woman, in fact…

_No... _he thought, scolding himself, _I can't allow myself to think like this... to think about her like that. I can't allow myself to fall for her, because all it will do is bring and cause pain._ With a sigh, Vincent stepped back and started to walk away. "We should be heading back, Aneilla," he said to her over his shoulder.

He heard Aneilla let out a deep sigh as she started to follow him. She walked alongside of him, moving slowly to keep with his pace. Vincent hardly came up to her shoulders and for a moment, he felt overwhelmed by the large creature he walked alongside. Glancing up at Aneilla, he could see that she was lost in thought… probably talking to the dragon inside of her. He didn't speak to her, allowing her to have her conversation with her teacher. After a few moments, Aneilla stopped and Vincent turned to look at her. "What is it?" he asked.

"_He wants me to try something before we head home," _she told him. Then without another word, Aneilla started to glow as she transformed. Her large form shrunk as the light shimmered brighter in the dark canyon. When the light finally faded, Vincent blinked slightly at Aneilla's appearance.

She was back in her human form, in a white halter top and cut-off jean shorts, but she still had her wings, only they were smaller; sized for her human body. Up along her outer arms ran ruby-red scales that faded away to normal skin as it went around her arm and it was the same for the back and sides of her neck, the fronts of her legs and along her hairline for about an inch or so. The scales were no bigger than the pinky-nail of a baby, but they shimmered just as brightly in the moonlight as they did when she was a dragon. Vincent could see through her partly opened mouth that her teeth were slightly pointed and the nails on her fingers were claw-like. Aneilla turned slightly and Vincent could see, as her hair lifted slightly from the breeze, that the scales spread out across her back, starting from the wings and fading as it spread towards her front. She looked up at Vincent and smiled slightly. "Well, whataya know, it worked," she said.

"What did you do?" Vincent asked.

"When I changed back, I allowed only a part of the dragon to remain, which gave me this form," Aneilla told him. "Apparently, I have _three _forms; my human form, dragon form and now half dragon form. In this form, I can use my dragon power, but stay secluded if I don't want to be seen, unlike in my dragon form when it would be hard to hide when needed." Aneilla stretched out her wings before folding them to her back. "When I lost control of myself against James, I took this form, although not to this extreme. James can get to this form only partly, but he cannot stay in it for long, which is why he's able to summon his wings, claws and fangs."

Vincent nodded, but was still shocked at Aneilla's new appearance. For a moment, that feeling he had had moments before returned as he gazed at the half dragon before him. _She's going to be immortal in a few years, _a voice said inside of him. _She is going to live just as long as you are and she's a beautiful immortal. Why are you so afraid?_

_Because, _Vincent argued with the voice, _I might make the same mistake like I did before with Lucrecia. I can't allow myself to head in a direction where someone I love will become hurt and I might end up losing. I don't think I'll survive if I lost another that I love so deeply like I did for her._

"Vince?" Aneilla asked, turning to face him fully, shaking him from his thoughts. "Are you alright?"

Vincent shook his head slightly and then nodded. "Yes," he told her, "I'm fine."

Aneilla didn't look convinced, but she didn't press it. Instead, she shrugged and the scales began to glow softly with red light, reminding Vincent of when the Geostigma was being healed from the water in the old church. The scales faded and the wings, glowing brightly, shrunk back into Aneilla's body. As the light faded, the young woman swayed slightly and Vincent managed to reach her to catch her before she collapsed to the ground. "Aneilla," Vincent asked as he knelt on the ground, an arm around her shoulders to hold her up, "are you alright?"

"A little dizzy," Aneilla murmured, shaking her head. "I think I'm a little worn out from today." She was silent for a moment before she gave a weak smile. "He says I should take a day and rest, seeing as I've been working so hard."

"He's right," Vincent said, "you should rest. You have been working hard."

"It's just," Aneilla said softly, "I want to be ready in case James tries anything again. I don't want him to hurt anyone again like he did last time, 'cause I'm afraid that he'll kill one of you guys next time."

"He won't," Vincent assured her. "We won't let him."

Aneilla smiled slightly and rested her head against Vincent's chest. Vincent felt the speed of his heart pick up slightly. "Take me home, Vince," she told him, "please."

Vincent nodded with a slight grunt and he stood up, carrying Aneilla in his arms, holding her close. "Hold on," he told her, and he then began to move quickly, so people would only be able to see his cloak moving swiftly across the terrain. In a few moments they were back at the bar and Vincent walked inside quietly so not to wake anyone. He carried Aneilla up to her room and laid her in her bed. He covered her up and then headed back out.

"Hey Vincent?"

Vincent turned around to see Aneilla looking at him, her crimson eyes glowing in the darkness. "Yeah?" he asked.

"Can I rely on you to be around, in a hundred years or so, so I won't be alone again?"

Vincent blinked, not expecting that question to be asked. How was he supposed to answer that? "I'm not sure," he told her. "It's hard to tell as of right now, but, for now, I can say yes."

Aneilla nodded and said, "Alright."

"You know Red will be around in that time as well," Vincent added.

Aneilla shrugged and said, "I know, but I want to know if someone… _human_… will be around."

"I'm not exactly human, Aneilla…"

"Well, neither am I," she said softly, "so I guess it works out." And with that, she snuggled into her pillow and drifted off to sleep. Vincent watched her for a moment longer before walking out.

He never noticed the dark figure crouched outside Aneilla's partly opened window, listening to everything that had been said and had seen it all. Silver orbs blinked as they lit up again and a slight smile curled the lips. Standing, Nemo gazed once more at the sleeping woman before leaping up onto the rooftops and moving swiftly back to the hideout where James would be waiting.

* * *

"Really now," James said softly after hearing Nemo's report, a smile curling his lips up wickedly. "So the deadpan Vincent Valentine is fallen in love with Aneilla, and visa versa. That is quite unexpected."

Nemo nodded and said, "Thought you would like that bit of information."

"And why would she ask if he was going to be around in a hundred years?" James asked, beginning to pace. "It's like she's saying that she is still going to be around in a hundred…" James stopped, realization spreading across his face.

"Sir?" Bear asked in his deep voice.

"We're immortal…" James whispered in realization. He turned to Nemo and asked, "How long, did you say, were they at Reeve Tuesti's place that time?"

"Several hours," Nemo told him. "Three at the least."

"Which means Tuesti has found something, and _she_ knows it; they all know it… damn it, _I_ want to know it." James spun around and looked at Bear. "Gather up as many men as you can. As soon as I'm up to full strength, we head out."

"But Sir, are you sure?" Nemo asked, tilting her head slightly. "You have just discovered your full power only a few days ago. Shouldn't you wait a little longer?"

"I have waited long enough, Nemo," James said. "We'll leave in a week, which will give me some time to become accustom to my new power, but that's it. Now, head out and prepare the men."

Both Nemo and Bear nodded and the two of them headed out. James stepped outside and went to the roof, where he could see the town of Nibelheim. They were currently hiding out at the old Mako Reactor building on the Mountain outside of the town. The building was quite large and no one ever came up here anymore because of the fear of what had once been in there. James smiled wickedly and he closed his eyes as her felt his body shift, groaning as his bones cracked, broke and reformed again and again. Soon, where a human once stood, was a jet black, lean and deadly-looking dragon. It spread its wings, its talons clicking on the rooftop's surface, the spikes running down the back of its neck, back and tail needle sharp and glistening, the spikes around the tail tip filled with poison. A crown of horns wrapped around the top of its head.

James opened his eyes, which glowed a feral yellow and grinned, his white fangs glistening in the moonlight. _"I will have you, Aneilla,"_ James vowed to the other Mako Eyed.

"_And the pretty dragon along with you..." _the demon inside of James hissed.


	10. Chapter 9: A Truce and Capture

Aneilla sat on the rooftop of the bar, watching as the sun began to set into the horizon. _Another day, gone, and still no sign of James, _Aneilla thought to herself. She closed her eyes, reaching out until she felt his spirit signature. She could feel how powerful he was, knowing that he was now at full power, and she didn't know how he had reached that extent in such time. One day, he was weaker than her, the next, he was powerful, maybe more so than herself. She has yet to tell the others of his dramatic increase in power, but she knew that she had to tell them soon. Aneilla sighed and drifted away from James signature and searched for the others. She found Cloud's easily enough, coming from right below her, with Tifa's right next to him. She felt the children's, Marlene and Denzel's, somewhere upstairs in one of their bedrooms. She could feel Nanaki's and Barret's and Cid's. Then there was Vincent's; a signature that was dark, unlike any of the others. It seemed like a vortex of darkness, swirling inside a small orb of deep blue light that was Vincent's human signature. Aneilla figured that the dark mass must be Chaos. As usual, Vincent's signature pulsed powerfully, but was dim, almost non-existent, in light.

_I wish I could help him... but no matter how powerful I become, I don't think I can mend a broken and tormented heart._

"_You never know until you try,"_ the dragon inside of her said softly.

_But he won't let me in, no matter how much I try..._

"_Then drift around the door, letting him know that you are there for him, despite everything, and maybe he'll open that door to you. Aneilla, you have enough good in your heart for the both of you, and if you truly care for him, then you will find the power to help him. You just have to reach deep inside of yourself to find that power, just as you must for all of your power now."_

_What... what do you mean?_ Aneilla asked the dragon. _Won't you be here to help me?_

"_After tonight, I won't be," _the dragon told her. _"I have taught you all I can and now it is time for you to be on your own. The time of the battle is fast approaching, but you are ready for it... you just have to realize that yourself."_

Aneilla gasped as she felt the place near her heart where the dragon resided begin to burn slightly. A red orb of light came out of her chest and hovered in front of her, pulsing with a heartbeat; her heartbeat. "Is that you?" she asked the light.

"_Yes, it is, the last dragon, or at least I was." _The spirit of the dragon hovered close to her face, so close that Aneilla felt blinded by its glow. _"Aneilla, you will soon be the last, but don't let that get you down. If you must, search the lands for any others, dragon and Dragon Child alike, until you are certain that you are the last. Always allow your heart to guide you, for the heart of a dragon is much stronger than any artifact of magic. And listen to your heart for what it tells you about Vincent, because it will help you set him free._

"_Always remember Aneilla: you are unique, and a powerful young woman. The dragons of old would have been proud of you; I know I am."_

Aneilla felt tears form in her eyes when she realized that this was her good-bye. She smiled and said, "Thank you, for everything."

"_Take care, Aneilla,"_ the dragon said and it then broke apart into tiny glowing specks, drifting up to the heavens.

"Wait," Aneilla called, looking up at the departing dragon spirit. "You never told me your name."

"_My name is Spartan," _he told her, _"and I will always be with you, watching over you, until it is your time to return to the planet."_ And then with that, he was gone.

Aneilla looked down at the rooftop, fighting to hold back the tears. "Spartan," she whispered, a smile forming on her lips. "Thank you, Spartan."

"Aneilla!"

Aneilla jumped to her feet and went to the roof's edge quickly, looking down. She could see Yuffie looking up at her, fear on her face. "Yuffie, what's wrong?" Aneilla asked.

"It's Reeve," Yuffie cried. "Reno just called and said that he and Rude found Reeve at his place. Aneilla, Reeve's been hurt, real badly! He's been attacked!"

* * *

Cloud walked through Reeve's office, broken glass crunching underneath his boots. The entire place was a mess, as if a tornado had ripped through the apartment. Cloud sighed as he turned a chair back upright, only to have it fall as one of the legs broke off. "I give you one guess as to who did this," he muttered angrily.

"James…" Aneilla said, coming up from behind him. Cloud watched as she walked past him over to one of the walls where deep gorges had been carved deep into the drywall and wood by seemed like large claws. Her hand tightened its grip on her handgun that she named Sirius. "James did this… and I can't help but feel that it's my fault."

"It's not, Aneilla," Cloud said sharply. "So don't even begin to think that."

Aneilla didn't respond, but instead turned back to Cloud and asked, "Where is Reeve now?"

"At the hospital… Vincent and Barret went there to check up on him. They said that they would call to report anything." Cloud walked over to Reeve's computer where Cait Sith was hooked up to it, trying to see if anything was missing and whether or not their fears were confirmed. Red stood near the cat creature, long tail swaying. "Find anything yet?" Cloud asked the two.

Cait Sith sighed and looked up at Cloud, eyes worried. "I've gone through everything almost three times. It's all gone; the research that Reeve pulled up on the entire project has been taken. That humanoid must have pulled out everything."

Cloud sighed wearily and ran a hand through his already messy hair. "So now they'll know everything… and James will realize that he is now an immortal." He looked over at Aneilla and asked, "Can you find his spirit signature?"

Aneilla closed her crimson eyes for a moment before opening them again with a shake of her head. "I can sense it, but I still can't locate it."

"So now he has the upper hand, although we have the same knowledge," Red said, looking between the two warriors. "We were better off him not knowing of his immortality… now that he does know, or soon will, he will be more keen to taking out Shinra, and then possibly the entire city. It's like Vincent said; the demon inside of him is starting to take over and James is letting it because it gives him power."

"But soon he'll realize that the power won't be his own anymore, but by then it would be too late," Aneilla said. "But it would also be too late for us because probably by that time, he would have already taken out half the planet."

"We have to stop him," Cloud said, "as soon as possible."

"But how?" Cait Sith exclaimed. "He's an immortal."

"Ah, but you forget," Aneilla said with a slight smirk. "You have a Dragon Child on your side, who is just as powerful as James, if not more, and even though he may be immortal, he can still be killed. Lucky for us, James is a cocky bastard…"

"And the cockier they are, the harder they fall," Cid said as he walked into the ruined apartment. The pilot looked at all four of them before turning to Cloud. Jerking a thumb back behind him, he said, "Rufus Shinra's looking for you, Spike, and he seems like its urgent."

"And now the shit hits the fan," Cloud muttered as he headed towards the door. He looked over in slight shock as Aneilla started to follow him. "You're coming?" he asked.

Aneilla shrugged and said, "I've got nothing to hide, at least as far as he knows. Besides, I want to know what he wants and what he has to say in all of this."

Cloud just nodded and he continued out. The two of them walked out of the apartment building and immediately saw Rufus Shinra near a black car, along with Reno and Rude. The President of the newly founded Shinra Company was talking to the two Turks as Cloud and Aneilla approached. Rufus was still recovering from his bout of the Geostigma and was still in his wheelchair. The three men turned their heads towards Cloud and Aneilla as they got closer. Rufus turned his chair so he was facing them and nodded to Cloud. "Cloud," he said in greeting.

Cloud returned the nod and replied, "Rufus." He then nodded to Aneilla saying, "This is Aneilla."

Aneilla gave a nod to Rufus and for a split second, Cloud saw a flash of anger in the woman's red eyes.

Rufus nodded to Aneilla, not noticing the anger that had appeared briefly in her eyes, before turning back to Cloud. "Do you have any idea what happened here? If Reno and Rude didn't decide to stop by to pay their old friend and co-worker a visit, Reeve would be dead by now."

Cloud sighed, knowing that he couldn't hide this from Shinra… at least not all of it. "Do you remember the Dragon Child Project, or Mako Child Project?"

Rufus frowned and then shook his head slightly. "I remember some of it. I was young when my father had control over that project. But it was announced a failure and the orphanage fire…" Rufus's eyes suddenly widened in realization. "Did one of the children escape the fire?"

Cloud nodded and said, "Yeah, the man who attacked Reeve was a Dragon Child, now in full power and an immortal."

"So your father's project wasn't a failure," Aneilla said coldly, "which means he is responsible for the murder of several innocent children."

Rufus looked at Aneilla, eyes narrowing slightly, before saying, "You are one too, aren't you?"

Aneilla jolted and Cloud stared at Rufus. _How had he known?_ Before Cloud could ask, Aneilla glared dangerously at Rufus and said, "And if I am… Are you going to finish off what your father failed to accomplish and kill me? Or are you going to take me into a lab and run some tests? Because if you are, you have another thing coming, because I will kill you before I allow you to do any such thing on me."

Rufus looked at Aneilla and said, "I'm not going to do anything to you. It was my father's project, and I don't approve of human experimentations. I'm not the man I once was Aneilla, and I am sorry for the hell my father may have put you through. I take full responsibility, as President of the Shinra Company, for everything that you went through in your life."

Cloud looked at Aneilla and expected the woman to lash out again. Instead, she nodded and said, "I accept your apology, but don't expect me to trust you as quickly. One wrong move in my eyes, and I will kill you. Understood?"

Rufus nodded and said, "Completely."

"Now that that is done and over with," Cloud said with a soft sigh, "Rufus, you need to know that James, the man that attacked Reeve, and his men are coming after the Shinra Company, and you. And I don't think he cares that the Company has different aims now like we do. He sees you as your father… let me add that this guy is a little insane and that the dragon demon inside of him may be starting to take over. We think that once he done dealing with you, he's going to aim for the rest of the world."

Rufus chuckled slightly and shook his head. "My old man's been dead for years and I'm still repaying and cleaning up after his mistakes." Rufus looked at Aneilla and Cloud and said, "I need to know everything you know and I'm going to need help. This is going to become a war, for I will be damned to let some demon try to take out this city, or this entire planet, again."

"We'll be helping," Aneilla said. "I'm the only one who can really go against James and make an attempt to take him out. I'm sure that he has an entire army set up for this battle."

"And it won't be easy," Cloud added. "These guys are tough and they won't fall easily."

Rufus nodded and said, "Just tell me everything that you know."

* * *

Preparing for another war was the last thing Vincent wanted to deal with, but there was no use in dwelling on it. Members of the newly founded World Regenesis Organization were prepping up for the upcoming battle against James and his force. They wanted to be ready, because they had no idea when the attack was going to fall. Vincent walked through the corridors of _The Shera_, Cid's airship. They already decided on two attack forces; air and ground. Vincent, Cid, Aneilla, Yuffie, Reno and Rude were part of the air force while Cloud, Tifa, Barret, Red XIII, Cait Sith and Reeve were on the ground and the WRO members separated between the two. Cid will be in command of the airship fleet while Vincent, Yuffie, Reno and Rude were leading different squads into battle. Aneilla herself would change into her dragon form and take to the skies alongside the airship fleet and move between each force, taking out any of the enemy's larger weapons and, when the time came, James.

Midgar had been evacuated, leaving a ghost city and the Shinra Company. Everyone was now in Kalm, waiting for the signal to attack James when he moves into Midgar. Hopefully, James wouldn't expect such a large attack.

Vincent walked out of the ship and looked around, staring at the town of Kalm. It seemed peaceful, despite the fact of the preparations of battle. With a soft sigh, Vincent turned and started to walk out of the town towards the cliffs on the outskirts. He was walking for only a few moments until he heard a soft growl from one of the ledges above him. He stopped and looked up at where Aneilla was lying on the ledge several feet above him, her head lifted up and looking out over the town. Her scales reflected the light of the moon and her crimson eyes glowed softly. Her tail was curled around her body, front claws resting in front of her, hind claws at either side. "What is it?" Vincent asked her.

"_I'm beginning to wonder if this world will ever have its time of peace," _Aneilla said, her eyes never leaving the sight of the town. _"Two years ago, the planet was threatened by Sephiroth and Meteor, but the Lifestream saved it. Then not even seven months ago, the remnants of Sephiroth, Kadaj and his gang, tried to bring Sephiroth back so he could once again attempt to take over the planet. Now James is going to try to accomplish what Sephiroth has failed. The planet is crying, but you cannot hear it." _ Aneilla turned her head slightly to stare out across the cliffs and plains that she could see from where she sat. _"I'm lying here, listening to the suffering of the planet, how it cries for peace, and the more I listen, the more anxious I get to feel James's neck crunch between my jaws."_

"Do you believe there will ever be peace?" Vincent asked.

"_It's hard to tell," _Aneilla replied with a soft sigh. _"Dragons have always been connected to the planet, somewhat like the Ancients, so that's why I know what the planet is feeling, but it doesn't tell me if the wars and battles will finally end."_

Vincent grunted and said, "It'll probably never end. There will always be hate and suffering. That's just how the world is."

"_Maybe... and maybe not. We cannot predict the future, only time can."_

"You've changed in the past couple months."

"_A lot has happened, and I've come to accept it," _Aneilla looked down at Vincent and gave him a smile. _"I'm ready for anything the world sends at me." _She then chuckled and then said, _"Might as well, seeing as I'm going to be in it for a long time."_

Vincent nodded and then he continued on his way, leaving Aneilla behind. _She and I will be the only ones left after the others return to the Lifestream, _he thought. _But it doesn't mean that I can allow myself to become attached. She can die anytime before her twenty-fifth year, and can still be killed even when she does become immortal._

Vincent's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of scraping claws on rock above him. Thinking that it was Aneilla, Vincent just stopped and looked up, about to ask why she was following him. Instead, he was struck in the chest by a large, heavy, _black_ tail and Vincent could feel the barbs on the tail tip drive into his chest. Vincent let out a grunt of pain as he flew against a cliff side, already beginning to feel poison run through his bloodstream. He tried to move, to push himself to his feet, but found with surprise that he couldn't.

"_Bind him," _a sinister voice said from the ledges across from him. _"The poison has already begun to have its affects on him. He will be unable to move or fight back for some time."_

Vincent felt himself being lifted up and then felt his hands tied behind his back, but no matter how much he tried, his body would not listen to his mind. As he was dropped back to the ground, he saw one of his captors and recognized the humanoid called Nemo. A cold chuckling could be heard and Vincent shifted his eyes towards the laughter. He watched as a jet black dragon dropped lightly down from the ledge where it had been waiting in ambush. The cold topaz eyes Vincent knew immediately. _James..._

"_And here I thought you would be difficult to catch," _James mused as Vincent was tugged up into a kneeling position, by the large black man he remembered being called Bear, by the back of his cloak. _"Silly me..."_

Vincent tried to speak, to ask what he wanted, but the only sound that came out was a groan. But James seemed to know what he wanted to ask because he answered his question. _"I want you pretty dragon, Valentine, and you're going to be the bait. She should be here any moment now..."_

Sure enough, Vincent heard an angry snarling from up above and with a large crash, Aneilla landed a few feet away. Crouching low, she roared at James, eyes glowing fiercely, her fangs glowing in the moonlight. _Aneilla, don't..._ he tried to say, but once again, only a groan escaped from his mouth.

"_So you've come," _James said, facing Aneilla.

"_Let him go, demon," _Aneilla hissed.

"_Sorry, dearest, but no,"_ James said, smiling wickedly. _"But you can have two choices; leave now, and I will kill him, or join me and I guarantee that he will stay alive as long as you are loyal to me."_

_Aneilla, no..._ Vincent thought as he saw the young woman recoil, her eyes glazed with sorrow. He worked his mouth, finding that he had some control, even though it wasn't enough to fight, but it was enough to get out, "Aneilla… don't… get out of here…"

Aneilla looked at him and he could see the torment in her eyes. The two of them stared at each other for a long time and although Vincent had begged her not to, he could already see her decision in her eyes. Aneilla moaned softly and looked away. _"I... can't..." _she told him softly. Vincent groaned and allowed his head to hang. From the corner of his eye, he saw the red light indicating Aneilla's transformation. "Do you swear it?" Aneilla asked James. "Do you swear that you will not kill him if I join you?"

"_Of course," _James said.

"Will you release him?"

James laughed at that and said, _"Oh no, dearest, for you see, I'm going to need him to make sure you stay loyal."_

Vincent heard Aneilla snarl as she said, "You bastard…"

James laughed and then he said, _"Let's go, before those who heard Aneilla's roaring come here."_

Vincent was lifted up and he found that he could walk some, but not without the help of Bear. He took a quick look behind him to see Aneilla being led by Nemo, who had one hand gripping the girl's arm. He got eye contact with Aneilla for a moment before she turned away, avoiding his eyes. Vincent turned when Bear gave him a shove that cause him to stumble slightly and Vincent didn't try looking back again.


	11. Chapter 10: In the Hands of the Enemy

"Taken!?" Cloud exclaimed, staring at the two WRO members. He, Reeve and Rufus had been discussing battle strategies when the two guards came running in, saying that during their watch, Aneilla and Vincent had been kidnapped by James and his two lackeys.

"Yes, sir," one guard said. "We heard Aneilla roaring and hurried through the cliffs to investigate. We got there just as they were being led away. We would have open fired, but James was in his dragon form, and the other two with him were the humanoid and the large black man, so there was no way we could have stopped them. It looked like Vincent was injured and possible poisoned, but Aneilla had been walking freely."

"Did she betray us?" Rufus asked, looking at Cloud.

Cloud shook his head. "No," he said, "she wouldn't. James must have used Vincent to force Aneilla to go with them. He knew that she wouldn't allow one of us to die, and must have found out that Vincent means a great deal to Aneilla, and vice versa, even though Vince won't admit it."

"So now what?" Reeve asked as Rufus dismissed the two guards. "We have just lost two of our best fighters in this war. And with James using Vincent to make Aneilla to do what he wants, there's a chance that he going to force her to fight against us."

Cloud groaned and covered his face with his hands. "Damn it," he muttered. "We should have kept an eye on her. James wouldn't have gotten his hands on her if we were protecting her."

"Do you honestly think that Aneilla would have allowed us to protect her?" Reeve asked. "She's been taking care of herself her entire life. There was no way she was going to allow anyone to look after her like she was a child. She went willingly into James's hands to protect Vincent, and now we have to get them back."

"How?" Cloud asked, looking up at Reeve. "We have no idea where the hell he is, or where he took them."

Rufus looked thoughtful for a moment and then said, as if he was thinking out loud. "Where is there a place that is big enough and abandoned enough where he can build up an army and no one will find out or see it happening? It would have to be a place where no one would go to…"

"The old Mako Reactor in Nibelheim!" Cloud exclaimed, looking at the two men. "It's the only place that I can think of that is big enough, and no one likes going up there any more because of all the stuff that had happened up there. It would be the perfect place for James to hide out. You can scream in that place, and no one will be able to hear you."

"Of course!" Reeve said as Rufus nodded in agreement.

Cloud looked at Reeve and said, "Get the others ready. We're going after them."

* * *

"Just think, Aneilla," James whispered softly in her ear behind her. "Soon, everything you see and beyond will be yours. I will give it to you, once we take over the planet." 

Aneilla pursed her lips, really wanting to retort something back, like James could shove it, but thoughts of Vincent crossed her mind and caused the words to shrink back down her throat. She was trapped by her own feelings and she hated it. The dragon inside of her was twisting about with rage, causing the wings on her back to twitch slightly. James made her remain in her half-dragon form, like himself, and she didn't disobey him. She remembered the first time she didn't do what he asked; he had asked her to have dinner with him and instead she locked herself up in her room that she had been given. Late that night, she had been ripped out of bed by one of James's men and taken down into the basement where they kept Vincent prisoner and forced her to listen to his screams of pain while Nemo tortured him. She had cried until she thought her eyes would bleed and agreed to sit at the next dinner with James. Only then did Nemo stop.

She hadn't been allowed to see Vincent, and she had yet to ask, afraid of what James would do if she did. Aneilla never thought that she would be this scared of anyone before. _I'm not afraid of him, but for Vincent,_ she thought suddenly. _I don't want anything to happen to him... why do I have such strong feelings for a man, that I've know for only a couple months, that they are keeping me a prisoner to my enemy?_

Aneilla turned away from the large window that she had been staring out of, looking out across the city of Nibelheim and the land beyond. She walked past James and towards the door of her rooms, about ready to walk out, but James stopped her by saying, "You don't want to rule by my side?"

Aneilla turned to look at James and hissed, "I'd rather die…"

James chuckled, his black scales glistening in the dim light coming from the window. "Such fire in you, Aneilla," he said, before walking towards her. "Together, you and I can rebuild our race."

Aneilla laughed hollowly and backed away from him. "I will kill myself before I let you touch me," she snarled at him.

James grinned wickedly and said, "Watch what you say, dearest, or I'll have you listen to your friend's screams again… although, he does scream every night, you just don't hear it. Listening as Vincent Valentine suffers… I thrive off of it."

"Damn you…" Aneilla snarled again, before turning away. She walked out of her room and down the dark, musty hallways. Her room wasn't actually a bedroom, but an old office with a cot in it; all the rooms were like that. Her boots made a dull sound on the wooden floorboards and she balled her hands into fists as she looked down at the outfit James made her wear while she was his prisoner. The red and black dress she wore had a halter top and a low back that swooped to her waist. The sides of the skirt were split on both sides all the way to her hips and a wide golden belt rested loosely on top of them. She wore black leather shorts that were laced up the sides and knee-high black leather boots. Violet sleeves covered her arms and were held in place, by two gold loops that were linked together by a thin gold chain weaving between the two, at her upped arms and wrists. A thin gold chain, connected on the sides of the top below her breasts, went across her back below the joint of her wings. Her long red hair fell down her back and around her shoulders.

Aneilla found herself in what had once been a lab. Old holding tanks lined the walls and she couldn't help but kneel in a corner. Wrapping her arms around herself, she pressed herself to the wall and felt tears escape her eyes. She had never felt so scared in her life. She was scared for herself, for Vincent, for the others, and for the planet. She needed to escape, to run, and she knew that she could, but she couldn't leave Vincent behind. She prayed for the others to find them so that she could run, and be able to take Vincent with her during the commotion. But it had been close to a week since the two of them had been taken… will the others even be able to _find_ them?

Aneilla didn't know how long she had sat there, but by the time she left, night had fallen and everything was quiet. She slipped back to her room and closed the door. She went to her bed and sat on it, deep in thought. _I have to see Vincent... I _need _to. I want to tell him to hold on, and that I'm sorry, because I'm the reason for his pain. I need to tell him that I'm going to try to get us _both_ out of here._ With her decision made, Aneilla stood up and slipped out of her room. Using her stealth skills that Spartan had taught her, as well as Cloud and Vincent, she slipped through the halls and corridors, down the steps towards the basement.

She got underground easily enough and she crept though the darkened corridors, her night vision enabling her to see easily. Already, she could hear Vincent's screams as Nemo tortured him in some way or another. The humanoid had been programmed to inflict torture on any living being when she had been created and it sickened Aneilla that a _human_ could think up of such a creature. _Then again, _she thought, _a human thought up the Dragon Children, and I'm the only one who didn't become a monster, well, the only one living that is._ Aneilla got to the room where they were keeping Vincent and she slipped into the adjacent room to it, a room that wasn't being used. She waited, trying her best to block out the sounds of Vincent's torment. She also swore that from time to time, she could hear the wicked laughter of James. After several hours, the screams stopped and Aneilla could hear the sound of footsteps. She shrunk back into the shadows, using her dragon magic so she will go unnoticed, as the door opened and Nemo and James walked out. The door was closed behind them and as they left, she could hear James say, "The outcome of this war is in our hands…"

_Yeah, keep telling yourself that,_ Aneilla thought with a small smirk. _We're gonna kick your ass._ She waited until the sounds of their footsteps vanished before she slipped out of the room and into the room where Vincent was held.

When she closed the door behind her softly, she heard Vincent chuckle hoarsely and say in a pained voice, "Knew that you weren't done with me, you sick bastard. Go ahead, do what you want, you can't break me."

Aneilla saw his form laying a few feet away in the darkness. She could also see a chair that had chains connected to it beside a table which she didn't want to _know_ what was on there. She walked quietly over to Vincent and crouched next to him. She sensed him flinch away and her heart felt like it was ripped in two. "Vincent…" she whispered softly, reaching out with a hand and brushing back his hair from his face. He wore nothing but his black pants; even the claw gauntlet had been removed. She could smell the blood on him and felt it when she touched him. "Oh, Vince, I'm so sorry…"

"A-Aneilla?" Vincent gasped, reaching out to her. "Is that you?"

"Yup, it's me," Aneilla said, taking his hand and lacing her fingers together with his. "Sorry it took me so long to get down here."

"I can't see you…" he muttered. "That damn bastard's been injecting me with that poison so I can't fight and my strength been depleted. I couldn't call up Chaos even if I wanted to."

Aneilla squeezed his hand and said, "Hold on, I'll get us some light." She then looked at the materia bracelet hanging from her wrist. She sent power into them, causing them to glow, giving off enough light to be able to see. When she was able to see Vincent more clearly, she let out a pained gasp at what she saw.

His chest, arms and back were covered in deep wounds, some fresh, some old. It looked like that the partly healed ones were opened up again so Vincent couldn't heal at all. The exposed flesh of the wounds looked to be burnt and was raw from abuse. "What have they been doing to you?" she whispered.

"Anything that humanoid can think of," Vincent said, coughing up blood. "I can't remember the last time I've been in so much pain."

"I'm sorry," Aneilla said, hanging her head and looking down at their entwined fingers. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be suffering like this…"

"Aneilla, stop it," Vincent said sternly, trying to sit up but failing. So instead, Aneilla lay next to him so they could be eye level, never letting go of his hand. Vincent looked at her and said, "It's not your fault, but you should have listened to me and ran when you had the chance."

"But he would have killed you," Aneilla said softly, tears falling from her eyes, "and I don't want you to die, Vincent. He would have killed you to get to me, and I would have never been able to live with that."

Vincent looked at her and then nodded. "I understand… I would have done the same." He reached out and brushed the tears away from her cheek. "But don't blame yourself, Aneilla. James is a sick bastard who will soon get what he deserves."

Aneilla smiled and she stretched out one of her wings so it covered Vincent, moving closer to him. "I'm going to get us out of here," she promised him, squeezing his hand again.

Vincent gave her a slight smile and said, "I know." Then he closed his eyes with a soft sigh. Aneilla smiled again and closed her eyes. They were soon both asleep, their hands still in each other's.

* * *

"Alright… let's go…" 

Cloud stood from his hiding spot in the bushes and began to run towards the front doors of the Mako Reactor, followed by a handful of WRO soldiers. He unsheathed his sword as he approached the doors and with a yell, he swung his sword down, sending out a Shock Wave beam at the large metal doors, blowing them open. His sword was still pulsing with a faint blue light as he swung it down to his side and continued forward. They entered the large building and Cloud brought a hand up to his ear where he wore a com-link. "We're in…" he said.

* * *

Cid stood at the helm of _The Shera_, able to see everything going down below. He seen Cloud blow open the doors of the reactor a few moments before Cloud let him and the others know that they were in. "Alright gang," Cid said, "let's get our own out of there. Go!"

* * *

"Alright gang; let's get our own out of there. Go!"

"Alrighty then," Tifa said, running towards the back doors alongside Barret, Red XIII and her own army of WRO soldiers. They went in through the back and were immediately facing some of James's army. A fight broke out and Tifa swung her fists at the enemy, determined to get through. Beside her, Barret fired at the enemy with his machine gun arm while Red ripped through with fangs and claws.

"Keep going!" the WRO captain said to Tifa, Barret and Red. "We'll hold them off here!"

Tifa nodded and the three of them broke through the defenses and continued deeper into the reactor. "Cloud," Tifa said through the com-link.

"What is it?" was Cloud's reply.

"We're on our way. Can you hold out?"

"We're fine... just get to Aneilla and Vincent if you can."

"Looks like we may have to wait to follow through with that plan," Barret said as they were surrounded by more of James's troops.

Tifa took her fighting stance again for the second time in five minutes. _Hang in there, you guys..._


	12. Chapter 11: Escape

Aneilla's eyes flew open when she heard the sound of commotion on the floor above them. She sat up quickly as she heard gunfire and loud banging noises and a smile crept up onto her face. _They're here... _she thought happily. She looked down at Vincent and gently started to shake him awake. Vincent groaned and he looked up at her questionably. "They're here," Aneilla told him. "Time for our escape." She got to her feet and hunted through the room until she found Vincent's belongings. She helped him dress and made sure that Cerberus was back in its holster where it belonged. She then draped one of his arms over her shoulders and, wrapping one arm around his waist, she proceeded to help him out of there…

…only to be stopped by the door flying open and James, Nemo and Bear blocking their escape.

_Damn it..._

* * *

"There's too many!" Yuffie exclaimed as she spun around with her shuriken, slicing through the defenses. "James was expecting us." 

"Just keep pushing through, Yuffie," Cloud told her through the com-link.

"Easy for you to say," the ninja retorted, "you and your big ass sword."

"Hey, me and my 'big ass sword' are having just as much trouble as you are..."

"Will you all stop fighting?!" Cid hollered. "You sound like a bunch of old grannies!"

"Sorry, old man," Yuffie said, cutting down two more of James's men.

"DON'T CALL ME OLD MAN!!!"

* * *

"So you really thought that you could escape," James said softly, a smile on his face, but his eyes glowed with murder.

"Uhh… yeah, I did, actually," Aneilla said, slowly stepping back, away from James, although she knew that she had no escape. _Think, girl, think! We need to get out of here. I have to protect Vince. There's no way in _hell _I'm going to let James hurt him again._

James started to glow with the dark fire, the pupils of his eyes becoming slits. "You little bitch, I will teach you some respect," he hissed as the dark aura around him exploded.

Aneilla lowered Vincent to the floor gently and faced James, her own red fiery aura beginning to surround her. Vincent gripped her hand and she looked down at him, crimson eyes meeting crimson.

"Aneilla…" he said, worry for her in his gaze.

Aneilla smiled and said, "Don't worry…" She then turned to face James again, allowing her power to course through her.

"I will kill your friends, and then I will slowly kill your _love_," James said, spiting out the last word with disgust. "I will force you to watch as I peel the flesh off his bones and gorge myself off of it!"

Hot red anger burned through Aneilla as he threatened the lives of the people she loved. Her aura exploded and her body tingled with the fire of the dragon burning inside of her. "I won't let you…" she whispered softly, before throwing up her hand and causing the floor between her and James to explode with Dragon Fire.

As the room burned, Aneilla released the dragon inside of her. She reared up on her hind legs and roared, her eyes glowing as brightly as the fire. On the other side of the flames, James's black wings unfurled as he took the form of the black dragon. His golden eyes glowed with hate as he looked at Aneilla over the flames, but he couldn't get to her. Aneilla lowered her head to look at Vincent. The red cloaked man gazed up at her with glazed over eyes. She lowered her muzzle, crooning softly deep in her throat. Vincent reached up with one hand to touch the side of her muzzle before he slipped back into unconsciousness. Aneilla roared again with anger at James for what he did to Vincent, and she carefully picked up Vincent's still form with her front claws, holding him close and protectively against her chest. Holding him close with one claw, she freed the other to have a better stance as she lowered her head, opened her jaw wide and used Dragon Fire once again to cause the room, and most of the basement, to explode.

* * *

"What the hell?!" Cid yelled as he saw part of the reactor explode from what looked like the underground. "Hey! Are you all alright?"

"Yeah, we're fine, just a little shook up," Cloud replied.

"What _was _that?" Tifa asked.

"Dunno," Cid told her. "It came from the basement, from the inside. You guys might want to get out of there. The reactor is already catching fire."

"Right," Cloud said. "We'll rendezvous as soon as everyone's...

"Holy fuck!" Cid yelled, the toothpick he had in his mouth dropping out, interrupting Cloud. "I just realized what that explosion was!"

"What was it?" Cloud asked.

"Let's just say that you guys don't have to worry about Annie and Vince anymore…" the pilot replied as he watched a ruby red dragon shoot out from the angry flames that were beginning to consume the reactor, clutching a still form in her claws against her chest.

* * *

Aneilla's wings were drawn close to her back as she ejected out through the basement and a few of the floors of the Mako Reactor before bursting outside. She roared as she spread her wings out into the open air and spun around in time as James rocketed after her. She twisted out of the way, using her hind claws to slash at his head and slamming the spikes of her tail into his stomach. James roared in pain and lashed out at her with his poison barbed tail, which Aneilla easily dodged. James lunged at her again, but Aneilla dove back into the flames that were beginning to claim the Mako Reactor, being able to fly through her flames unharmed, but James wasn't as lucky. She smirked slightly to herself as she heard James's roars as he tried to get by the flames to get to Aneilla.

She dipped low and flew into the cliffs surrounding Nibelheim, her mind racing as she thought of nothing but making sure Vincent was safe. Behind her, she heard James's roars of rage as he lost her.

* * *

Getting away from the reactor was easy once everyone boarded the airships. Finding where Aneilla and Vincent disappeared to was an entirely different matter.

"Where could she have gone?" Yuffie asked as she looked down the window of the airship as they flew over the cliffs and mountains. They had been searching since the end of the fight, and it was now getting close to daybreak, meaning that they've put at least four to five hours in this search, with no results. It was like the dragon disappeared off the face of the planet.

"Somewhere she felt safe," Red said softly, standing beside the ninja. "She was using everything she had to make sure Vincent was safe, even when it weakened her defenses."

"She wasn't fighting with everything she had," Cloud said, remembering when he had gotten out of the burning reactor and saw Aneilla fighting against James while holding Vincent close to her in protection. She hardly fought, just dodged and swiped at the black dragon with her tail, keeping a distance between them.

Cid sighed wearily where he stood at the helm and shook his head. "We better find them soon, before James does."

Cloud nodded and then his phone rang. Looking at the caller I.D. he said, "It's Reeve." He flipped his phone open and held it to his ear. "Cloud…"

"We've found them," Reeve said, "at the Northern Cave. You might want to get down here quickly."

"Alright," Cloud said, hanging up. He looked at Cid and said, "Head to the Northern Cave, and quickly. They found them."

Cid sighed as he turned his ship in the direction of the Northern Cave. "Why do we always see to end up there? I really can't stand that place."

"I know," Cloud muttered, thinking of the place where he'd given the final blow to Sephiroth… the first time. It was also the place where Rufus had found Jenova's head that Kadaj and his gang were after.

Within the hour, they reached the Northern Cave and Cid eased his ship down to the bottom, through a thick mist that formed. Once safely landed, they all stepped off to find Reeve and some WRO soldiers waiting for them. Cloud gave a nod of greeting to Reeve, who returned it. "You found them?" Cloud asked.

Reeve nodded again and gestured behind him. "About a quarter of a mile that way, but be careful… she's not exactly in the right state of mind. Perhaps someone she knows well will bring her back."

Cloud nodded and glancing at the others who came up behind him, they all headed out. Cloud unsheathed his sword as they walked through the mist, searching around him for any sigh of Aneilla or Vincent. He stopped when he heard a low growl. "Aneilla?" he called out.

With a loud "whoosh" noise, the mist cleared slightly and Cloud could see Aneilla lying on the ground curled up. Between her two front claws laid Vincent. Aneilla looked at Cloud and hissed and she folded her wings that she had used, as well as some magic Cloud had no doubt, to clear the mist. Her eyes were hair-like slits in crimson orbs and she was breathing heavily. _"Stay away from him..."_ she growled.

"Aneilla, it's me, Cloud," Cloud told her, sheathing his sword. "You two are safe now." He gestured to the others to stay back and then he took a crouching position. He looked at Aneilla and smiled slightly. "I can wait until you calm down."

They stayed like that for a few minutes before Aneilla broke eye contact and muttered, _"I was a fool to allow James to control me like that..."_

"You were doing nothing but protecting someone you cared for," Cloud reassured her. "Any one of us would have done the same." He then turned and gestured to Yuffie to run back and have Reeve bring one of the trucks over so they could get Vincent out of there. "Right now," Cloud continued, turning back to Aneilla, "Vincent needs some help, so you're going to have to let us. He'll be fine now, Annie, trust me."

Aneilla looked at Cloud and nodded. _"I trust you,"_ she said, before shifting back to her human form… her human form without a stitch on. She had burnt away her clothing when she transformed since it wasn't enchanted like her regular clothes. Cloud chuckled when he heard Cid curse lightly behind him and Barret shift so he had his back turned. Aneilla lifted up Vincent and held him close to her, his head resting on her shoulder. "I feel like it's my fault that he got hurt like this…" she whispered.

"It isn't, and you know it," Cloud told her. "Like I said, any one of us would have done the same to make sure someone we cared for was safe."

Aneilla looked up at Cloud and said, "But, even though I did everything James wanted me to, Vincent still got hurt and if I didn't, James said he would kill him… no matter what, Vincent suffered because of me."

"I don't think it was as one sided as you may think," Cloud told her.

She opened her mouth to question what he said, but was interrupted when on of the WRO trucks arrived. A few soldiers came out of the truck and headed towards Vincent and Aneilla. They slowed down slightly when they saw Aneilla and Cloud saw a few turn a shade of red.

"Yuffie," Reeve said, shrugging off his long dark blue coat as he came up beside Cloud, "give this to Aneilla. Men, turn your backs."

Cloud chuckled as he stood and turned his back along with the other men as Yuffie ran to Aneilla with Reeve's coat. He saw Tifa trying to stifle giggling behind a hand. Once Aneilla was decently covered did the WRO soldiers pick up Vincent and carefully carry him to the truck. Aneilla looked at Cloud and he nodded, and he watched as Aneilla followed the men.

"I'll go with her," Red said before trotting after the young woman.

"Well," Reeve said, looking at Cloud, "shall we head back?"

Cloud nodded and then they all headed back towards the airship, the truck slowly driving ahead of them.


	13. Chapter 12: Bring on the Demons

Vincent opened his eyes and found himself lying in a bed in what looked like the infirmary at the WRO Headquarters. Moaning softly, he sat up and swung his legs over to the side of the bed. He looked around and saw a few other men lying in beds but other than that, there was no one else. He stood up carefully and was grateful to notice that his strength was close to fully returned. He walked out of the infirmary and was nearly taken out by Yuffie.

"Vince!" the young ninja squeaked, looking up at him with wide brown eyes. She then grinned and tapped him on the shoulder. "Glad to see you up and moving. For a while there, you were looking all corpse-like."

"Thank you, Yuffie," Vincent said softly. "Now where is everyone?"

"They're all in the computer lab, discussing the next battle plan, which will be on Midgar."

"What?"

"Oh yeah, you don't know yet," Yuffie said, slapping herself on the forehead. "Well, let's just say that a _very_ pissed off James attacked Midgar and Shinra Company a day or so ago, completely unexpected. He has control over the city now and poor Rufus's been crying over his now-destroyed-partly-rebuilt Shinra Company building. Let's just say that there is no rebuilding now on _that_ pile of ashes."

"A day or so ago?" Vincent asked, eyes widening slightly. "How long was I out?"

Yuffie twisted from side to side slightly, hands clasped behind her back. "'Bout three days now… whoa, Vinnie! Where're you going?"

"I need to catch up…" Vincent told the ninja who was hurrying alongside him. "I've been out too long…"

"Umm… you were poisoned and tortured by a mad dragon and nearly burnt by dragon fire, and you're complaining 'cause you've been out for three days? Man, any normal person would be out for a week or more…" Yuffie's eyes widened and she jumped in front of Vincent, walking backwards as she waved her hands in front of her. "Not that you're not normal or nuttin'… well, you kinda aren't, what with Chaos and all… oh boy, I really need to stop talking…"

"Yes, please," Vincent said as he turned a corner and walked into the computer lab. He saw Reeve, Cloud, Tifa, Cid, Barret, Rufus Shinra, Reno, Rude, Red XIII, with Cait Sith on his back, and Aneilla. The Dragon Child was wearing mid-thigh black leather shorts, knee high, laced, black leather boots and a black leather halter top that had a low back to accommodate her wings when she shifted to her half-dragon form. Her long hair was pulled up in a high ponytail and Sirius was in its holster at her side.

Everyone turned when Vincent came in and looked slightly surprised to see him up and about. "Like, yo, shouldn't you be resting?" Reno asked.

"I've rested enough," Vincent said, before looking at Reeve and asked, "What's the plan?"

Reeve sighed and said, "Same as it was before, only we are having more soldiers in this battle than we last planned to." The man ran a hand through his hair and said, "James has more monsters on his side, no doubt they are following the dragon demon inside of him, and the weapons he has are immense. I have a feeling that this is going to be a slaughter."

"So we've decided that Aneilla will take out the weaponry while our squad takes out the Mako Reactors, which will be their only source of power," Cloud said. "And if we fail at accomplishing that, Aneilla can take them out…"

"But as a last resort," Rufus added. "Cloud and the others will just be deactivating the power. If Aneilla takes them out… well, let's just say that Midgar will be out of power until we can rebuild them again, which will take some time."

Aneilla nodded and then said, "James will come after me, and that battle will be in the skies. Until then, I'll fly with Cid and the other airships once I've completed my task."

"But other than that, the plan is the same," Reeve said.

Vincent nodded and then asked, "When do we attack?"

"Tomorrow, so we will leave in the morning and get there by the afternoon," Cid said.

Vincent nodded again and said, "I'll be ready."

"We all will," Aneilla said, looking up at Vincent. "We have to be, if we want to win this."

Vincent looked at Aneilla and asked, "Are you sure that you will be able to take him? He is much larger than you, and powerful."

Aneilla gave a short nod. "I'm sure I can, and if I can't, well," she gave a slight shrug, "I'll be sure that he's weakened enough so you guys can take him out."

Vincent couldn't help but feel something inside of him willing for Aneilla not to fall, for her not to make that last attempt. He remembered how, when they were in James's clutches, how she had covered him with her warm wing, how she held his hand while he fell asleep. _No... I can't..._ "Alright…" was all he said, interrupting his thoughts.

"Alrighty then," Cid said, sticking another toothpick in his mouth. "Let's get going then. We got ten hours 'til take off."

* * *

James sat at the top of the Mako Reactor plant, his long tail curling around the base. His golden eyes gleamed as he stared into the horizon as the sun rose behind him, towards the direction where his enemy would be coming.

"_Come to me, Aneilla..." _James hissed venomously.

_It ends tonight... _the demon inside of him snarled.

* * *

Aneilla stood at the front window of _The Shera_, staring out at the landscape rushing past below them. _The planet is relying on us now... on me... to save it, to protect it..._

_Again..._

Aneilla sighed and looked behind her. Cid, standing at the helm, gave her a nod of encouragement, which she returned before turning back to look outside. She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest, staring out at the world she had been destined to protect.

"Are you alright?"

Aneilla jumped slightly as Vincent stepped beside her. She looked at him from the side and gave a small smile. "I'll be alright," she told him.

Vincent nodded and neither spoke again for some time. Finally, Vincent said, "Aneilla, about what happen between us… at the Reactor…"

Aneilla looked up at Vincent, blinking her eyes slowly.

"…it won't happen again."

She didn't understand why her heart felt crushed when he said that. She looked back out the window and found herself nodding. She wanted to cry, to scream, but her body wouldn't let her. She sighed softly and said, "I get it…"

"What?"

Aneilla shook her head and said, "Nothing… it doesn't matter now…"

"Aneilla…"

"Look, Vince, you said it wouldn't happen again, so it won't," Aneilla couldn't understand why she was becoming so agitated, well she did, but she wasn't going there. "Right now, we need to concentrate on the battle at hand, not other pointless things." With that, she brushed by him and walked towards the launching bay where the squads would be taking off. _What was I thinking, thinking that things would be different... Some people will never change, no matter what Spartan said, if they don't want to change._

She found Yuffie and parts of the other squads down at the launching bay. The hyperactive ninja waved to Aneilla and said, "Hey, you almost ready to kick some demon ass?"

Aneilla gave Yuffie a small smile and said, "I guess…"

"Oh boy, what's wrong…"

Aneilla shook her head. "It's nothing… just… Vince said something and I guess it got under my skin a little, but it doesn't matter…"

Yuffie frowned and nodded slowly. "Okay, if you're sure…"

"Alright listen up!" Cid's voice yelled over the intercom. "We're coming up on Midgar within a half hour. I need to all to be prepared and ready to fight. The planet's counting on all of you, so don't fuck up!"

Aneilla laughed at the last part as she removed Sirius and its holster from her side. She was beginning to wonder where to place it when a black gloved hand grasped the barrel from behind her. "I'll hold it for you," Vincent said as he took her weapon.

She looked at him as he attached the holster onto his other side and nodded. "Alright," she said, "but you mess it up, I'll roast you."

Vincent grunted and looked at Aneilla. His crimson eyes bored into hers and she found herself unable to look away. _Damn hormones..._ "Aneilla… look, about what I said…"

Aneilla rolled her eyes and poked him in the chest. "Don't. Worry. About. It," she said, poking him with each word for emphasis. "I get it, alright, and although it kinda hurt, I'll deal. It's not like I'm gonna knock you off your hover board just because of what you said."

Vincent grimaced and said, "Thanks for the reinsurance…"

"No problem," she said with a grin. She then allowed it to fade and tilted her head back as she shifted to her half-dragon form. She felt raw dragon power flow through her and the dragon inside of her crowed with anticipation of battle. She looked at Vincent and nodded, but as she turned Vincent grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. "Vince…"

"He threatened to kill you," Vincent said, the grip on her arm tightening slightly. "When he was… he kept telling me that he would kill you if I tried to hold back. He also threatened to do other… things… to you if I didn't do what he wanted. Some of the things they did to me they had me inflict on myself. That's why… I can't allow myself to become attached…"

Aneilla looked at him and said, "What do you think he did to me? Exactly the same. He forced me to listen to you scream because I didn't sit with him at _dinner_, Vince! It wasn't just you… and don't tell me that that is the only reason, because I know it isn't. There is more and maybe you won't tell me and that's fine, but don't hold yourself back for the fear of what may happen. Let come what may, Vince, and don't try to change it. But it's your decision." With that, Aneilla took Vincent's hand in hers and gave it a quick squeeze, releasing before he could protest. "Now, come on, I'm _really_ in the mood to kick some demon ass."

Vincent chuckled and said, "You're starting to sound like Yuffie."

Aneilla shrugged and said, "What can I say: it rubs off."

* * *

"Alright, this is it!" Cid yelled at the helm. Down below him, he could see the city of Midgar and the large mass of enemies that surrounded it. He punched a hand into the other and growled behind his unlit cigarette. "Let's show that bastard just who he tried to mess with! GO!"

* * *

Down on the ground below, Cloud leaned forward on Fenrir, giving the large bike more gas and speed as he and the hundred or so trucks behind him propelled forward towards the enemy. Bullets from the large machine guns began firing and he weaved the bike back and forth to avoid getting hit. _It's payback time,_ he thought with a slight smile as he led the ground force towards battle.

* * *

The doors opened in the launching bay, revealing the ground several hundred feet below. Yuffie, leading the first squad, looked over at Vincent and Aneilla and gave them a salute. "See you guys later," she said before she and her squad took off on their hover boards into the fray that was starting up below.

Aneilla went towards the edge of the exit and looked down. She caught a glimpse of Cloud on Fenrir before he was covered from her view by an explosion of dirt and dust. She looked up and she could see one of the large weapons firing at the first squads below. She rose up a hand, her aura glowing brightly around her. Red fire burst around her arm and she smirked as the machine several hundred feet away on the ground below exploded within a burst of Dragon Fire.

"Good going, kid!" she heard Cid yell through the intercom as the second squad behind her cheered and Vincent gave her a small smile. Aneilla smiled back and said softly, "Bring on the demons…" She then turned back and jumped down to the ground below.

* * *

Aneilla jumping was the signal and as Vincent pushed off on his board and towards the exit, he saw her fly up quite close to the ship, roaring proudly. He and the second squad exited _The Shera_ and Vincent immediately lifted up Cerberus and began firing at the enemy.

The battle had begun.


	14. Chapter 13: The Battle

Aneilla twisted this way and that, avoiding the bullets and projectiles that were sent at her. _Stupid humans, thinking that they can hit me..._ she thought with a chuckle. _Alright, let's get started._ She swooped down, flying towards one of the large machine guns that were firing rapidly at the incoming WRO members on their hover boards. From where she was she could see Vincent's red cloak and the flash of him firing Cerberus. Grinning she reached for the machine gun, grasping it with all four claws and lifting it up off the ground, its operators screaming as the fell. She flew along the line before dropping it on another machine. As she flew away, the two machines exploded from the impact. _"Got ya!"_ she exclaimed before flying off. She swooped down low to the ground and saw Cloud on Fenrir. She flew down until she was gliding close to the ground, one of her wings over him. _"I've taken out three, which leave three more from what I see. You guys are safe to go towards the west side and attack."_

Cloud nodded and yelled, "Good work."

Aneilla nodded and she flew up high, taking to the sky again. She saw another machine and she opened her jaw wide, feeling hot Dragon Fire moving through her body. With a mighty roar, she sent hell hot fire at the machine, turning it into melted rubble. _Two more to go...  
_

* * *

Vincent flipped in a circle on his board, firing at flying fiends that were coming at them. James had both humans and demons on his side and so far, it was still undetermined if that was a bad thing or not. _They're mostly weak things, more of a nuisance than anything._ Vincent smirked slightly as he fired off another round at the approaching enemy.

Suddenly, his board jerked violently and Vincent looked around the back and saw that his engine was smoking from a bullet hitting it. "Damn…" Vincent hissed, trying to control his board and failing. He looked forward and saw that he was quickly approaching the side of a building. _This is going to hurt..._

"_Vincent!"_ Vincent looked down to see Aneilla flying below him. The ruby dragon looked up at him and called out again. _"Vincent, jump!"_

He didn't hesitate and he jumped from his board and landed on her back between her wings. In a crouched position, he moved up to her shoulders, avoiding the spikes that ran along her spine. He settled himself in the hollow where her neck and shoulders joined and looked ahead to see the building was less than twenty feet away. "Aneilla…" Vincent said, horror edging his voice at the thought of the two of them crashing.

"_Hold on,"_ Aneilla said simply before she went into a tight dive, her wings partly folded to her sides, the building six feet from her claws that were hugged close to her body. Vincent held onto her neck, the wind rushing past his face. He couldn't help but feel a slight thrill in riding Aneilla, especially in battle. Aneilla turned up to the sky again before she crashed to the ground, her agility so great that it made Vincent himself look clumsy. With a few pumps of her wings, she was airborne again. _"Well now,"_ Aneilla said, looking back at Vincent, _"what do you say, my friend? Shall we fight our first battle together as a unit?"_

Vincent smiled slightly and lifted Cerberus, reloading it and preparing it for firing. "Let's see how we do first, and then I'll let you know."

Aneilla nodded and then, turning on wingtip, she headed back towards Midgar. As she breathed fire at the flying demons, Vincent fired at those that somehow managed to survive her hot flames. Aneilla dipped and turned to avoided bullets and other projectiles that were sent at her, Vincent holding on with his legs and his gauntleted hand. At one point, a stray bullet struck her in her hind left leg and she roared with anger before destroying the shooter with Dragon Fire.

Down below, from what Vincent could see, their army was beginning to push James's back. He couldn't help but smile as a thought went through his mind. _We're winning... but, James has yet to show his face. I think he's going to soon enough._

* * *

Cloud was now in the midst of battle, swinging First Tsurugi at the enemies around him. His bike was at the edge of Midgar, along with the other WRO trucks, and he and the rest of the army were forcing the enemy back. Cloud struck down another one of James's army and ducked just in time as a slim blade whisked past his head. He looked up to see the humanoid, Nemo, standing before him, both katanas in hand.

"So you _are_ swifter than normal humans," she said sounding surprised, her voice more deadpan and monotone than Vincent's. But, of course, she was a robot. She possessed no feelings. "You will be a worthy opponent, Cloud Strife."

"Bring it on," Cloud said, releasing one of the six blades that made up the Tsurugi, now holding two swords. "You tortured a good friend of mine… you're going to pay, as well as your leader."

Nemo smirked, her silver eyes flashing. "We'll see," she said, and then she lunged forward to attack.

* * *

Cid cursed as his baby was hit again. "Damn! Watch out for those missiles or just shoot the guys!" He then looked out through the front window. He could see Yuffie, but he couldn't see Vincent. "Where did that guy go?" he muttered to himself.

Suddenly, Aneilla flew in front of the _Shera_, so damn close that Cid could see the details of her scales, and also saw that Vincent was on the dragon's shoulders. He felt the ship jerk slightly from the tailwinds the dragon left. "Damn you woman that was close!" Cid hollered, although he knew that she couldn't hear him. But then a smile formed on his lips and he chuckled. "Give them hell you two," he said to Vincent and Aneilla before going back to barking orders at his crew.

* * *

Vincent ducked as another bullet went flying past his head. "Can you dodge those a _little_ bit better?" he asked Aneilla.

"_Give me a break, Vince!" _Aneilla snarled, dipping low under one of their ships. _"I'm being shot at from all angles at once here!"_

Vincent shrugged as he shot down another flying demon. "I've never had the trouble dodging bullets…"

"_Don't make me roast you..."_

Vincent laughed softly as he leaned forward against Aneilla's neck. He saw that a new machine was being rolled out and he pointed it out to Aneilla. "You see that?"

"_Yeah..."_

"Let's get it, shall we?"

Aneilla roared gleefully and Vincent couldn't help but think that she _enjoyed_ blowing stuff up. The dragon swooped down upon the unsuspecting men taking the machine out. With a blast of fire, she set the machine on fire before flying up and away. _"That was fun..."_

"You _do_ enjoy blowing stuff up!" Vincent groaned.

Aneilla laughed and said, _"What can I say? I'm a pyromaniac!"_

_You have the "maniac" part right..._ Vincent thought. Suddenly, he heard it. An angry roar that shook the air; the roar he'd been anticipating. Vincent spun around and saw the black dragon hovering above Midgar, his golden eyes flashing in the dying sunlight.

"_Traitorous beast! Shame of our flesh! You call yourself dragon, and yet you carry a human on your back like a common mule. You are nothing but a lowly Wrym!"_ the dragon roared. Vincent could see a sickly green aura around it and he blinked slightly. James's aura hadn't been like that before.

"The demon's taken over…" he said softly as Aneilla landed on top of a building.

"_Yes... James allowed the demon to take over, thinking it would make him stronger..."_ Aneilla sighed and then said, _"He did exactly what the demon wanted; he gave him a new body so he wouldn't have to return to the Lifestream."_

"_I refuse to end up like those old fools,"_ the dragon snarled angrily. _"Will you be like them, reincarnation of Spartan, or will you fight me like the dragon you claim to be?"_

Aneilla looked at Vincent and she said softly, _"You can leave now... you do not have to fight with me..."_

Vincent shook his head and said, "I won't leave you."

Aneilla's eyes glowed softly and she gave him a smile.

Vincent returned the smile and then asked, "So, shall we fight this battle together?"

Aneilla whipped her head around and gave the answer to both his and James's questions: crouching low and spreading her wings a far as they would go, she roared loudly and expelled a bout of flame from her mouth.

Vincent smiled and said, "I'll take that as a 'yes'."

* * *

"Barret, watch out!" Tifa cried out as some of James's men came around a corner, brandishing swords.

Barret yelled and fired at the incoming men with his machine gun arm. He looked at Tifa and nodded. "Let's go, girl," he said.

Tifa ran ahead, running deeper into the reactor, Red XIII running alongside her with Cait Sith clinging to his back. "I hope Cloud's alright…" she thought out loud.

"Don't worry," Red said, looking up at her, "he'll be fine… everyone will."

Tifa smiled and nodded and they came around a corner and then Cait Sith cried out, "That's it! That door over there!"

Tifa nodded and she ran up to the said door and with a yell, she kicked it. The door handle busted off and the metal door swung open. Immediately, Cait Sith jumped off of Red and ran to the controls, looking over them.

"Hurry," Barret said, keeping watch at the door.

"Gimme a minute… there!" Cait Sith jumped up and pulled a handle down. At once, the power in that entire sector went out. "Gotcha!"

"Way to go!" Tifa said, before they ran out, the only light they had now coming from Red's tail. "Only a couple more to go…" she said softly. "Hang in there you guys…"

* * *

Cloud was breathing heavily, holding the two swords in his hands. Before him, Nemo stood steady, since she didn't have to breathe. But Cloud could see silver liquid leaking from the injuries he had given her, but not without receiving his own. He wiped the blood away from where it trailed down the side of his left eye and grinned slightly. "You've taken some damage, humanoid," he said.

"So have you, Cloud Strife," the robot replied.

"Let's say we end this, now…"

Nemo nodded and she rushed forward. She swung one sword down and Cloud knocked it to the side while blocking the other katana. The two of them returned to the deadly dance, both knowing that the next time they stopped, it would be because the other was dead. Attack, block, counterattack, dodge… Cloud was beginning to see a pattern in Nemo's attack pattern, but he wanted to make sure of it before he dealt the final blow. He could feel himself tiring out, but he couldn't let it show because Nemo would press on that tiredness and Cloud knew that he wouldn't be able to stop her then.

Finally, a grin spread across his face. He found the pattern and now it was time to act on it. He noticed that after every fifth swing, Nemo would expose her back to him for a few moments in a spin around attack. If he timed it right, he could slice her open in the back, destroying the main part of her system. He blocked her attacks and at the fifth swing, he readied the bigger part of the Tsurugi. Time slowed for him as Nemo spun around for her next attack and Cloud swung his sword up and sliced through her back, sending sparks flying.

The humanoid staggered and dropped to her knees. She looked up at him, her eyes sparking and her jaw becoming slack. "How…?" she stammered as sparks continues to fly.

"One thing about fighting…" Cloud said, standing over her. "You can't program it and fight the same… because sooner or later, your opponent will see through your pattern." Then he rose up sword and sliced off her head. The robot dropped over stiffly, sparks still flying from her deactivated body.

Cloud smiled slightly and he lifted his face to the sky. Just then, he heard a loud, bellowing roar and he looked towards Midgar. His eyes widened when he saw both red and black dragon collide into each other, grappling in the sky with fang and claw. What he was even more shocked to see was, because of his Mako-heightened vision, the red cloaked figure of Vincent sitting astride the red's shoulders, gripping her neck firmly. "Be careful, Vince… both of you…" he whispered softly as thunder suddenly ripped through the air and dark clouds began to spread its fingers across the peach colored sky.


	15. Chapter 14: The Sacrifice

Vincent gripped Aneilla's neck as she slammed against the black dragon, both roaring loudly. In the heavens above them, Vincent could see and hear a storm coming in fast. The dark clouds flashed with lightning and rumbled with thunder. _Perfect weather for a final battle..._ he couldn't help but think. Then he was nearly thrown off of Aneilla so he returned to concentrating to the battle at hand. He lifted Cerberus and at a precise moment when Aneilla wasn't in the risk range, he fired at James. He hit the dragon, but the three bullets just grazed his bone tough scales, only causing an irritate twinge that caused him to roar angrily. He tried to swing his tail at Vincent, but Aneilla whipped her head around and sank her fangs into his tail, snarling angrily.

Vincent pressed himself low to her neck as the rain began to fall, soaking his hair and cloak in seconds. Aneilla flipped upside down, raking her claws and the spikes on her tail on James's underside. Blood sprayed down on them, being washed away by the rain but not before Vincent felt a slight burning where the silvery-red blood had landed on him. James swooped down onto Aneilla and Vincent fired again at the dragon, causing him to pull back as the bullets ripped through his wing membrane.

"_You will pay for that, Valentine!"_ James roared before belching out a wave of blackish-green flames. Aneilla ducked away but she let out a roar of pain as the flames grazed her side, just missing Vincent, who could feel the heat against the back of his legs.

He turned back to look at Aneilla at the front and asked, "Are you okay?"

"_I'll be fine. The flames just missed me, although it does sting," _she replied, turning her head to look at him.

Vincent nodded and ducked close to Aneilla as she flipped upwards and twisted her body, rocketing at James and striking him in the side. Her fangs sank into his leg and the black dragon roared with pain. Then, striking like a viper, the black dragon whipped his head around and sank his fangs into Aneilla's neck.

Vincent yelled as Aneilla howled with pain, releasing James's leg, but the black didn't release Aneilla. She dug at the black with her claws and her tail, trying to have him release her neck, but he wouldn't let go. Vincent lifted up Cerberus and taking careful aim, he pointed the triple barrels of the gun at the most vulnerable spot on the dragon. He fired and the three bullets penetrated into the black dragon's evilly glowing golden eye.

The shriek that came from the black dragon was unworldly, but he released his death grip on Aneilla. Aneilla flew back and Vincent squinted through the rain to see if he could see how much damage James had done. In the next flash of lightning, Vincent stifled a gasp when he saw the ravaged wound in her neck, almost six feet long. "Aneilla…" he whispered.

"_I'll be alright,"_ she said wearily and although Vincent knew that she was trying to be strong for him, he could hear the pain in her voice. But she spun around, hanging suspended in the air, facing the black dragon in front of them.

"_It's over Aneilla..." _the black hissed. Vincent could see that the left eye, the eye he shot, was now nothing but a ruined mess in the socket. The dragon glared at them with his remaining eye and said, _"I have won."_

"_You are right about one thing," _Aneilla said, growling softly around her words. _"It _is_ over, but you are wrong about the winning part. Look below you..."_

Vincent looked down and he could see that the WRO and AVALANCHE were driving out James's army, which had been depleted to almost nothing. The Mako Reactors had been shut down, giving no power to the machines or to the rest of the city. Vincent smirked when he realized that the battle on the ground had been won, but then he realized: _what about the one in the sky?_ He knew that Aneilla was still willing to fight, but would her body hold up with her spirit? As he watched, the blood flowed from the wound in her neck, slowly dripping to the ground below.

James, looking down below him, hissed unbelievably. _"No..."_ He then lifted his head and roared. _"You may have won down there, but I will still crush you and your human lover!"_ Then the black dragon lunged forward, snarling dangerously. Both dragons slammed into each other and Aneilla slashed at the black with her tail, driving the spikes into his back between his wings. Vincent lifted up Cerberus and fired at James, peppering holes into the dragon's wings, hoping that it would slow him down. Aneilla pushed away from James and flew around the buildings, trying to get momentum and to escape James for just a moment.

She suddenly lurched, as if she had caught herself from falling from the sky. Vincent gripped her neck tightly and looked at her. "Aneilla?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"_This wound... it's... it's sapping my strength..."_ Aneilla groaned as she caught herself again. _"I don't know how much longer I can go Vince..."_

"Hang in there…" Vincent said softly, looking where James was tailing them on the other side of the buildings. "Aneilla, what is a dragon's fatal spot?"

"_The heart..."_ she replied. _"But it's hard to get to because of the scales that protect it."_

"But if you got under the scales, what's there?"

"_Skin as fragile as a human's..."_

"Aneilla, I'm going to need you to throw me at James, so I can get to his chest. He won't be able to get me at that angle with his fangs…"

"_But his claws..."_

"I'll make it quick, before he realizes what I'm doing. I'll lift up the scales over his heart and call out Chaos enough so I can drive my gauntleted hand into his heart. Then you use Dragon Fire to finish him off… can you do that?"

"_I think so... it'll take the rest of the strength I have left..."_

"As long as you don't die…" Vincent said softly. Aneilla didn't reply, so Vincent stood, holstering Cerberus before moving down the length of Aneilla's back and getting to her tail tip. "Alright!" he called out to her, knowing that she could hear him. "NOW!"

With a roar, Aneilla came around the building, cutting James off. She flung Vincent off her tail as he leapt at the black dragon, both momentums adding up, allowing him to fly right at the dragon. He hit the black's chest and gripped the scales tightly with one hand, feeling them dig through his leather gloves into his flesh. Using that hand, he pulled up the scales and at the same time called upon the power of Chaos. "This is for you Aneilla…" he said softly, and then he plunged his glowing red gauntleted hand through the thin membrane on the under skin and into the dragon's chest.

Bright red light exploded from the chest wound and James screamed with pain as Vincent sliced through his heart. Vincent pulled his hand out and shoved off the dragon, free falling as the black above him suddenly burst into ruby red flames. The dragon's dying screams vibrated over Midgar as the flames ate at his body.

"_Vincent!" _he heard Aneilla scream and suddenly, the red dragon twisted around under him, catching him and stopping his free fall. Holding him close to her, the dragon continued to fall as her wings refused to hold her anymore. Vincent pressed himself against her smooth scales as they crashed into the center of Midgar, sending rock and debris all around.

Vincent was hurtled from Aneilla and landed a few feet away with a painful thud, the wind knocked out of him. He blacked out for a moment and then lay there, regaining his breath. All he could hear was silence and the heavy fall of the rain. Finally, he pushed himself up to his hands and knees, spitting blood from his mouth. He ached all over, but from the smell of burning dragon, he knew that it was over. "Aneilla, you did it…" Vincent said, turning to where she landed. "James is…" His words died in his throat when he saw that Aneilla hadn't moved. "Oh no…" Grunting, Vincent pushed himself to his feet and limped over to the fallen dragon. The last of his strength gave out when he reached her head. "Aneilla…" he whispered, reaching out with his gloved hand to stroke above her closed eye.

Aneilla moaned and she opened her eyes. She sighed happily when she saw Vincent. _"You're okay..." _she said softly.

"Never mind me, Aneilla. Just hold on… we'll get help."

"_Vince, you know that I'm not going to make it... the last of my strength is spent..."_

"No…" Vincent said softly, shaking his head. He began fumbling in his cloak and pockets, finally pulling out a Restore Materia. "I can heal you…"

"_Vincent, no..."_ Aneilla said, closing her eyes painfully. _"Even Chaos doesn't have enough strength that's needed to heal me..."_

"Aneilla, please don't die…" Vincent said, leaning close to her, feeling tears fall down his face with the rain. He never allowed his emotions to show, never allowed himself to beg, but the thought of Aneilla dying caused him to throw all of that away, to lower the walls he had placed around his heart years ago. "Please…"

"_I'm sorry... Vincent... I... love you..."_ Aneilla heaved another painful breath, but she didn't stop. _"I think I was in love with you the first time I laid eyes on you... it was your spirit signature... it had so much darkness and sadness in it, and all I wanted was to wash that all away... to make you happy... I'm sorry I couldn't do that..."_

"You did… Aneilla, every time I was with you, I felt joy, although I refused to allow myself to admit it…"

Aneilla smiled and said, _"Then I'm glad... Vinc..."_ Then Aneilla's eyes closed and her breathing became shallower and shallower.

"Aneilla!" Vincent cried, pushing himself up and scrambling to the wound in her neck. He activated the restore and held the materia over her wound. "Even if it kills me… Aneilla, I won't let you die…" Then he brought up the last of his strength and, willing himself to heal Aneilla, to keep her alive, he cried out into the storm, "Cure 3!"

The materia glowed brightly in his hands and he felt his body draining as the terrible wound began to heal. The last thing he heard was Aneilla inhale sharply before darkness took him over and he collapsed to the side, the materia rolling from his hands. Beside him, Aneilla's still body shuddered and she glowed brightly as she shifted back to her human form.

Both fallen warriors lay there perpendicular to each other, in a pool of dragon blood, Vincent's head near Aneilla's stomach and the young Dragon Child, the last of her kind, curled slightly. Both of their hands rested beside each others, as if they were the hands of desperate lovers, trying to reach for the other.


	16. Chapter 15: Aftermath

Vincent slowly opened his eyes, and even that was painful. His entire body ached, but not as much as his heart when everything came flooding back. _Aneilla..._ He sat up slowly and found himself in his room that Tifa kept for him at the bar. He grunted as pain washed through him, but he swung his legs over to the side of the bed nonetheless.

"You know, you really shouldn't be up… you almost died that night."

Vincent looked to the doorway and saw Cloud leaning against the frame, his blue eyes glowing under a shock of blonde hair that fell over his forehead. "I'm fine," he said to the blonde before standing, ignoring the pain, and walked over to the window. He looked outside to see that night had fallen. "How long has it been?"

"Almost a week," Cloud said and Vincent heard him enter the room and sit on the edge of the bed. "Reeve had you fixed up and we brought you back here to care for you. We were hoping that you would wake up some time soon. We…" Cloud was silent for a moment and then he spoke softly, "…we lost a lot of good people that day."

Vincent closed his eyes, but didn't turn to face Cloud. "Aneilla…?"

Cloud was silent and Vincent felt like his heart was ripped into pieces, although he didn't allow it to show. _I couldn't save her... Why is it that someone like myself lives and someone like her is the one to die?_ "Cloud…" he said, slowly turning around to face the warrior. "Is Aneilla…" He stopped when he saw a new figure standing in the doorway. His eyes locked onto a pair as crimson as his own.

Aneilla was leaning casually against the door frame, the sides of her long hair pulled back and twisted into a braid. A small smile crept onto her lips as she looked up at Vincent. On the bed, Cloud chuckled softly and said, "She's as stubborn as you are Vince…"

Aneilla pushed up and walked over to Vincent. He looked down at her and choked out, "Aneilla… you're alive…"

Aneilla smiled and said, "Yeah…" Then she punched him, _hard_, in the chest and said sternly, "You ever try to pull something like that again, I will _definitely_ roast you. Damn it, Vincent Valentine, you almost killed yourself!"

Vincent smiled with a soft grunt as he looked down at the petite woman in front of him, who he thought just moments before was dead and returned to the Lifestream. He reached forward and brushed his fingers against her cheek. _Why do I feel this way?_ Vincent asked himself. _When I'm with her, the feelings I have are the same that I had when I was with Lucrecia... but in a way, it's different._ That's when Vincent realized that he had fallen for Aneilla, no matter how much he tried not to. He hadn't wanted to fall for her, knowing the hardships it would bring, but it was too late now. Although he didn't want it before, a part of him wanted this now, and had wanted it for a long time. But he couldn't tell her, not now; he had to figure things out. So instead of telling her how he felt for her, he said, "I couldn't let you die, not when you've done so much… and you have so much more of your life to live…"

Aneilla covered his hand with her own and said, "You shouldn't have done that, Vince. I don't know what I would have done if I realized that I was only alive because you died to save me."

"You would have moved on, lived your life to the fullest…"

"No, I probably would have dragged your ass back from the Lifestream and killed you again because you broke your promise."

"Promise?" Vincent asked, and then he remembered:

"_Hey Vincent?"_

_Vincent turned around to see Aneilla looking at him, her crimson eyes glowing in the darkness. "Yeah?" he asked._

"_Can I rely on you to be around, in a hundred years or so, so I won't be alone again?"_

_Vincent blinked, not expecting that question to be asked. How was he supposed to answer that? "I'm not sure," he told her. "It's hard to tell as of right now, but, for now, I can say yes."_

"That wasn't really a promise…" Vincent told her.

"But you said you would be there, and I trust that you will," Aneilla said. "I need to have someone I can rely on, so I chose you."

Vincent looked down at Aneilla and he smiled. "Thank you…"

"Hmm? For what?"

"For everything."

* * *

Midgar was slowly being repaired, and life slowly returned back to normal. What they found of James was nothing more but a pile of bones and a black orb near his chest that was cracked almost into two. Aneilla took that immediately, saying that that had been his heart and she left for the rest of the day, returning back to the bar in the evening saying that she'd disposed of it and that it wouldn't harm anyone. No one asked what kind of harm it could do, and she never said, so they left it be.

Months pasts, wounds healed and life went on. Once Midgar was repaired, the AVALANCHE team returned back to their normal lives and separated once more, but they didn't lose contact with each other. Aneilla continued to work at the bar for Tifa but after a while, she found herself missing a certain red cloaked, dark haired man. She also found herself thinking: she told him that she loved him, but he never told her that he loved her, although the emotion he shown that night proved that he did indeed have feelings for her.

One night, almost two months since the battle against James, Aneilla was wiping down the bar. It had closed for the night and the three of them, Cloud, Tifa and herself, were cleaning up for the next day. Cloud was stacking chairs up onto the table while Tifa swept down the floor. The children had long since gone to bed and the only noise that could be heard was the soft swishing of the ceiling fans.

"Alright, I'm off," Cloud said, stacking the last chair. He looked at Aneilla and gave her a slight wave. "See you tomorrow?"

"I'll be here," Aneilla said. She watched for a second as Cloud kissed Tifa briefly, telling her not to be too long. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy for the two of them. They were so happy together and Aneilla wanted to feel that happiness the two of them shared. But she knew that she wouldn't be able to find that, or if she did, it wouldn't be for long. She was an immortal, destined to live forever and she had to suffer watching the friends she now saw as her family grow old and die, while she lived on… the only person who shared the same fate as her was Vincent, and she didn't really know if he cared for her like that.

Once Cloud went upstairs, Tifa looked at Aneilla and smiled. Then the brunette's smile faltered when she saw sadness glint in Aneilla's eyes. "Hey, what's wrong?" she asked.

Aneilla shook her head and said, "You two seem so happy together…"

Tifa understood and said, "You'll find happiness too, someday…"

"Perhaps, but what happens when the person I found happiness with grows old and dies? Tifa, I'm immortal… how can I find happiness when the people I love die all around me? Sure, it'll seem like a long time for you guys, but it'll be quick for me… one minute you'll be there, the next, gone."

Tifa looked at Aneilla sadly and said, "You'll find someone… and even if you don't, you'll always have Nanaki and Vincent."

"Yeah… Vincent…"

"You really love him, don't you?"

Aneilla sighed and said, "I do, but I don't know how he feels for me…"

"I'm sure it's the same… he's definitely shown a side of himself in the past few months that we've never seen before. Give him time… you know you have plenty of it."

Aneilla smiled and looked at Tifa. "Thanks Tifa."

Tifa smiled and nodded. "Sure, and hey, don't forget…" Tifa set the broom against the wall and walked over to her. She placed both hands on Aneilla's shoulders and said. "Dragons are connected to the Lifestream, so when me, Cloud and the others return to it, all you have to do is connect to us through it and we'll be there. Okay?"

Aneilla nodded and said, "Yeah, okay."

Tifa gave Aneilla a hug and Aneilla held her friend closely. _It'll be a while yet, but I'll enjoy every minute I have with these guys, and then afterwards._ When the two girls separated, Tifa yawned and Aneilla said, "Go on up to bed… I'll finish up down here."

"Thanks Annie," Tifa said. She waved goodnight and headed upstairs. Aneilla sighed and turned back to the bar top.

She was giving it the final wipe down when she heard the door open. She looked up and scowled. "Hey, can't you read buster? Sign says we're closed!" But she blinked when she recognized the figure in the doorway. "Vincent! Geez, I'm sorry, I thought you were some drunk trying to get in."

Vincent chuckled as he walked across the room to the bar. Aneilla came around to the front and stood in front of him, crossing her arms. Vincent stopped in front of her and asked, "Everyone's in bed?"

"Yeah, seeing as it's, like, two in the morning. Hell, I should be in bed right now, but I told Tifa I would finish up down here and lock up for the night." She looked up at Vincent, raising an eyebrow. "Why are you here? Aren't you living in Kalm now?"

"I am, but I need to see… you."

"Me?" Aneilla asked, blinking slightly. Then she said, "Hey, whatever it was, I did _not_ do it, and if I did, Yuffie was involved as well."

Vincent chuckled and said, "It's nothing like that."

"Then what is it?"

Vincent didn't say anything, but instead reached up and rested his un-gauntleted hand on the side of her face. Aneilla blinked and she looked up at him. His eyes locked onto hers and before she knew it, his lips were pressed against hers.

Aneilla's eyes widened for a moment before she allowed them to flutter closed. She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss. After a moment, Vincent pulled away and he rested his forehead against hers.

"I'm sorry that I kept trying to push you away," he said softly. "Can you forgive me?"

Aneilla nodded and Vincent smiled slightly before he began to kiss her again. He held her close and deepened their kiss by gently pushing his tongue into her mouth. Aneilla moaned and ran her fingers through his black hair. After a while, Aneilla pulled away and said softly, "I have to lock up…"

Vincent nodded and Aneilla scooted around him, hurrying to the door. She could feel how warm she was and the dragon inside of her was roaring excitedly. Images flashed through her head of two dragons flying through the sky, grasping each other with their claws and their tails entwined. Aneilla shook her head of the image, feeling the dragon twisting inside of her, wanting to fly. _Can't exactly do that with Vincent... Ancients! Why am I thinking of that?_ After locking up, Aneilla flipped the light switch, her night vision allowing her to see. Of course, Vincent's vision was the same, allowing him to meet her half way across the bar room. He pulled her close and whispered softly in her ear, "Let me show you how much I love you."

_Oh golly..._ Aneilla thought, but she found herself nodding and Vincent took her hand and led her up the stairs to her room. Both were silent even though during the entire trip to her room she was expecting one of them to hit a squeaky floorboard and alert either Cloud or Tifa or wake up the children. But they made it to her room without a sound and as Vincent closed the door, Aneilla could feel her heart thudding against her chest. She turned to face him, her red eyes glowing softly in the darkness.

Vincent stepped up close to her and, wrapping both of his arms around her waist, he pulled her close and asked, "So, you can truly forgive me?"

Aneilla placed a finger against his lips and rolled her eyes. "Of course I can," she said, looking up at him. As she did, she noticed that his own eyes had a faint glow to them from the Mako that flowed through his veins; not as bright as hers and Cloud's, but in the dark, she could see it. She smiled, knowing that as she did, the light in her eyes glowed brighter, and she stroked the side of his face. "I love you, don't I?"

Vincent nodded and he lowered his head and began to kiss her again. Aneilla started working on the buckles that held his cloak in place. As the cloak fell from his shoulders, Aneilla took a moment to look at his face fully without the collar of that cloak hiding part of it from view. She placed a hand against the side of his face and said, "You shouldn't hide your face so much… you have a gorgeous face…"

"I cannot compare to you," Vincent said, running a hand through her red hair.

The dragon inside of Aneilla roared so loud that she was surprised that Vincent didn't hear it as the two of them continued to remove each other's clothing and Vincent pushed her down onto the bed. Aneilla felt a little self conscious, since it was truly her first time like this with any man, more so because it was Vincent, and she tried to cover herself with her arms, but Vincent reached over and pulled her arms away. "Don't," he said softly. "I want to see every part of you. You're beautiful Aneilla."

Aneilla smiled and laid down against the blankets as he came up over her. He brushed her hair from her face with his now un-gauntleted left hand and she took the said hand in hers. "Do you feel normal?" she asked. "Not human, but normal all the same… do you understand what I mean?"

Vincent nodded and said, "Yes, I do… I haven't felt like this in a long time." He kissed her again before looking at her and asked, "Are you sure about this? I don't want to press anything on you…"

Aneilla shook her head and smiled. "No, I'm ready… I rather not have this with anyone else but you."

Vincent smiled, a genuine smile that she never seen pass his lips before and she had a feeling that she was the first to see it. He adjusted himself over her and said, "It'll hurt for a moment, but I promise I'll be as gentle as possible." Aneilla nodded and a thought passed through her mind, wondering if after over thirty years, Vincent would be able to perform as well as he should. When he slowly began to slide into her, that thought flew from her mind and she shuddered at the feeling of him entering her and of the dragon coiling like a spring. She let out a soft cry as he hit a barrier and he whispered, "This will hurt, but it'll get better after this, I promise." He looked down at her and asked, "Ready?"

Aneilla nodded and rested her hands on the back of his shoulders. He thrust forward and a cry of pain escaped her lips as he slid all the way inside of her. He paused for a few moments before starting to move slowly. The pain began to fade from the pleasure she felt of him sliding in and out of her. She dug her nails into his skin as she felt the dragon try to surface and a soft growl past her lips. "Vince…" she gasped.

"Let it out, if you have to…" he said, looking at her. "Just not all the way…"

Aneilla nodded and she felt the warm sensation slide across her skin as the ruby red scales appeared on her body. She kept the wings back, but the dragon inside was satisfied. She wrapped her legs around his waist so more of him would go inside of her. Vincent pressed his lips against hers again and Aneilla brushed the tips of her fangs gently against his bottom lip. Vincent moaned and he moved his lips to her throat and she felt him bite down. She cried out and she felt her muscles tightening around him.

"I should pull out of you," Vincent gasped against her neck. "I'm going to come…"

Aneilla shook her head and said, "Don't… it's alright… come inside me…"

Vincent lifted his head and looked into her eyes. He gripped her hips tightly with his hands and started to pound harder into her. Their eyes were locked as Aneilla felt her muscles lock around him and she cried out his name, followed by another growl as the dragon inside roared with ecstasy. Vincent thrust as hard and as far as he could inside of her before releasing his essence inside of her. He continued for a few more moments before finally collapsing on top of her, not worried about his weight hurting her. He rested his head on her breasts, both of them breathing heavily.

Aneilla ran her fingers through his damp hair, her legs still where they were. He hadn't pulled out of her yet, and she was fine with that. She liked this closeness with him and she wanted it to last as long as possible. After a few moments, Vincent lifted his head to look at her and she smiled. "Hey," she said between soft pants.

"Hey," he replied, reaching up to run his fingers over the scales that were around the outside of her face and went a little bit under her eyes in a line. "Are you alright?"

Aneilla nodded and Vincent pulled out of her slowly as he moved up beside her. She shifted her body as he pulled the blankets from under them to cover themselves before he pulled her into his embrace. He kissed her forehead and said, "I love you."

"I know," Aneilla said as the warm sensation returned to her skin as the scales disappeared back into her skin, the dragon pulling back and curling up to rest. "I love you too, Vince."

Vincent grunted and held her tightly. Within a few moments, both had fallen asleep.

* * *

Vincent woke up to Aneilla curled up against him, her breath warm against his neck. He smiled, remembering the night before as he kissed her hairline. He thought he would regret coming to the bar and many times while heading there, he almost turned back. But now he was glad that didn't. Being with Aneilla like this… he remembered what she'd said last night… felt normal. _Thirty years is a long time to not feel like this_, he thought. As he brushed some of her red hair from her face, she stirred and with a soft moan, her eyes opened. She looked at him and he smiled at her. "Good morning," he said softly.

Aneilla smiled and, closing her eyes, snuggled closer to him. "I thought it was all a dream," she muttered. "That when I woke up, you wouldn't be here."

"I'm here," Vincent said, running his hands through her hair.

Aneilla nodded and then she looked up at him. "Are you staying here?"

Vincent sighed and he sat up a little, looking at her. "I need to return to Kalm," he told her. "But, I was hoping that you would come with me."

Aneilla looked up at him and said, "I would love to, but I don't know if I can. Tifa may need me here…"

"She would understand," Vincent pressed. He wanted to take her back with him, he wanted to have more of those nights that he and Aneilla shared last night and more than anything, he didn't want to be alone.

Aneilla chewed on her bottom lip, looking thoughtful. She then looked up at him and nodded. "You're right," she said, "she would understand. She wants me to be happy and being with you makes me happy. I'll go with you."

Vincent smiled and he lowered his head down to kiss her, wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her closer to him. After a moment, he broke away and said, "Shall we head downstairs and talk to Tifa and Cloud?"

Aneilla nodded and before he could say anything else, she threw the covers back and jumped out of bed. He couldn't help but watch her petite form move across the room, all of her self-consciousness from last night gone. She went to her wardrobe and starting going through her clothing. Vincent sighed and sat up against the headboard, the blankets coving him from waist down. Aneilla took out black leather shorts, a white spaghetti strap top and undergarments. He watched her dress with a small smile. She looked up at him and asked, "What are you looking at?"

Vincent chuckled and said, "Just you." Then with a groan, he got up out of bed and, picking up his clothes from the floor, he began to dress. As he put his cloak back on, he sensed Aneilla's eyes on him. He turned and saw her sitting cross-legged on the made bed, a small smile on her face. He did the last buckle and he walked over to her. Taking a gentle hold of her chin, he lifted her face up and kissed her briefly. "Let's go," he said.

Aneilla nodded and she jumped from the bed and walked to the door, walking out first. The two of them headed downstairs where they could hear Cloud, Tifa and the children talking. When they got to the bottom and entered the kitchen, everyone looked up to say good morning to Aneilla. They lost all words when they saw Vincent. He couldn't help but smile behind his cloak.

"Morning everyone," Aneilla said. Marlene and Denzel looked at each other and then back at Vincent and Aneilla before giggling quietly. Vincent saw Aneilla shoot the children a look and she said, "Marlene, Denzel, would you two go upstairs for a moment? I have to speak with Cloud and Tifa."

The children nodded and they ran upstairs. Once they were gone, Tifa sighed and covered her face with a hand. "Some times I wonder if we should allow those two to hang out with adults all the time…"

"What's going on Aneilla?" Cloud asked, looking from Aneilla to Vincent.

"I'm leaving," Aneilla said softly. "When Vincent returns to Kalm, I'll be going with him."

Tifa looked at Aneilla and she smiled. "See, I told you Aneilla," she said.

Aneilla smiled and nodded. Vincent figured that it was a conversation between the girls because Cloud looked just as confused. Vincent looked at Cloud and said, "Sorry for coming unexpected… I just…" He looked at Aneilla who was now talking quietly with Tifa.

"I understand," Cloud said, standing and walking up to Vincent. He placed a hand on his shoulder and smirked. "You have no need to apologize. So, when will you be leaving?"

"As soon as possible," Vincent said. "I need to be in Kalm. Reeve is there, so I want to stay close by in case he needs anything."

Cloud nodded and said, "Keep in touch and we'll keep tabs here. We'll miss having the both of you around."

Vincent nodded and the two of them looked at the women, who were watching them calmly. Tifa looked ready to cry, but she had an arm around Aneilla's shoulders and both girls were smiling. "When will you be ready, Annie?" he asked.

Aneilla smiled and said, "Within the hour… I'll just pack, say good bye to the kids and I'll be ready to go."

Vincent smiled and nodded. As he watched Aneilla, followed by Tifa, walk up the stairs, he couldn't help but feel a warm sensation in his chest that he hadn't felt in over thirty years. _Aneilla's coming with me... and I feel like I have a reason to live in this world now... I'm not alone, not anymore._


	17. Epilogue: Our Farewell

**Disclaimer: I do not own the song or the lyrics of "Our Farewell". It belongs to Within Temptation. **

Vincent stood near the window that looked over the city of Kalm in his apartment. He just heard from Cloud, telling him that everything was fine in Midgar and Edge, so Vincent was content. Even still, he couldn't help but wonder if things had finally settled down, or a new evil would rise and cause chaos in the world again. _I guess time will tell..._

A creak in the floorboards caused him to turn around as Aneilla approached. He was somewhat surprised to see a pack on her back and see her dressed for travel. "You're leaving…" he said, knowing that it was stupid to ask. She had been living with him for a little over a month now and she had seemed happy. He couldn't understand why she was leaving.

Aneilla nodded, looking down at the floor as she did. "I… I have to go…" she said softly.

"What do you mean?"

"I have to know…" she said softly. "I have to know if I'm truly the last, or if there are other Dragon Children out there. And I want to find them, before they end up like James did, or worse. And I need to find my place in the world, now that I'm a part of it."

"You have a place," Vincent said. "Your place is here…" He was about to say, _with me_, but decided against it. "…with us."

Aneilla looked up at him and smiled. He had a feeling that she knew what he was going to say before changing it. "I know, but, in a way, it's not enough… it's hard to explain, but I think you understand, more than anyone else would."

Vincent nodded and said, "Yeah, I do."

She nodded and dropped her bag to the floor. She walked up to him and before he knew it, Aneilla wrapped her arms around Vincent in an embrace. Hesitantly, Vincent wrapped his own arms around her and then he tightened his embrace when it dawned on him that she was truly leaving.

"Aneilla," Vincent said softly, "I don't want you to leave. I don't want to be… alone…"

"You are not alone in life," Aneilla said, her head resting against his chest, "although you might think that you are. You have people who care about you all the time, no matter how far away from them you are. Even when they die, they are still with you; in the wind, sun, earth. No matter what, you are never alone." She looked up at him and smiled, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "If there was one thing I learned while living, that would be it."

Vincent looked at her and said, "I still don't want you to leave. You are the only one who seems to understand me and what I go through every day."

Aneilla placed her hands on either side of his face and said, "I'll come back, I promise… I just don't know when." Then she reached up and kissed him lightly on the lips.

At that moment, Vincent made a decision. When Aneilla pulled away, he took one of her hands with his right one and pulled her back for another kiss, this time making it last longer. _I'll wait for her, _he thought, _even if I have to wait until the end of time, I will wait for her to come back._ When they finally pulled away, Vincent could see the tears running down from Aneilla's softly glowing eyes. With a small smile, he gently brushed them away. Cupping her cheek with his hand, he said, "I'm holding you to that promise."

Aneilla smiled and they embraced one last time. Then Aneilla slowly pulled away, going to retrieve her bag. Wiping her eyes, she gave him a playful glare before saying, "Damn you, Vincent Valentine, you made this harder than I wanted it to be."

Vincent laughed softly and shrugged slightly, saying, "I tend to do that sometimes."

Aneilla gave him one last smile before saying, "I love you, Vincent… Goodbye…"

"Goodbye Aneilla," Vincent replied. "I love you…" He watched as she turned and walked out the door, closing it softly behind her. He didn't feel the single tear as it slid down his face as he whispered, "This is not our farewell."

**Within Temptation**

"**Our Farewell"**

In my hands  
A legacy of memories  
I can hear you say my name  
I can almost see your smile  
Feel the warmth of your embrace  
But there is nothing but silence now  
Around the one I loved  
Is this our farewell?

Sweet darling you worry too much, my child  
See the sadness in your eyes

You are not alone in life

Although you might think that you are

Never thought

This day would come so soon

We had no time to say goodbye

How can the world just carry on?

I feel so lost when you are not at my side

But there's nothing but silence now

Around the one I loved  
Is this our farewell?

Sweet darling you worry too much, my child  
See the sadness in your eyes  
You are not alone in life  
Although you might think that you are

So sorry your world is tumbling down  
I will watch you through these nights  
Rest your head and go to sleep  
Because my child, this not our farewell.  
This is not our farewell.

**Oh my gosh it's finally done… but of course, I had to end it in a way so there will be a sequel :D **

**I wanna thank those who gave me reviews and helped me get this story done. And, you won't have to wait long for the sequel, because I am working on it now… and for those who liked the Vincent/Aneilla pairing… well, you may not like the beginning . ' but I'm not saying anything of what's gonna happen :P The prologue and first few chapters I will put up in a few weeks, but for now, here's a sneak peek of what's to come:**

**496 years later**

Nanaki stood on the cliff, overlooking the ruined city of Midgar. The once great city, were so many battles had taken place, was now nothing more than an overgrown memory. The old buildings were covered with vegetation and greenery, as was the landscape surrounding it. But the only creatures living in the once human inhabited city were now wild beasts and fiends. The only ones still alive that were around during its glory days were himself, Vincent Valentine and Aneilla Crimsonwing. But Aneilla had up and disappeared and Vincent… Nanaki sighed deeply, hanging his head.

Three hundred and ninety-six years ago, Vincent went into a sort of mad rage when he realized that what his friends told him a hundred years before after he came out of his coma was true: that the love of his life since Lucrecia was never coming back, that she left him, just as Lucrecia left him years before. He was determined to kill the dragon that had broken his heart and set out to hunt her down. Nanaki couldn't stop him, had tried, but failed, because he couldn't tell the heartbroken man the real reason of the dragon's disappearance.

She saved his life, and then, for the best of both their lives, she disappeared, never telling them where she went. Of course, Nanaki and the others saw the results of the work she'd been doing when she was gone from their lives. Dragons, the peaceful kind, began appearing and helping in the reconstruction of the world and fight against those who tried to stop them from doing so. Lands that had been blasted from Meteorfall once more grew greenery and life, the deserts around Midgar and Edge became lush forests and the world went from brown and dead looking to green and full of life. For over a hundred years, the dragons worked, and then Deepground returned, around the same time Vincent went into his heartbroken rage.

Nanaki lifted his head to the sky and spoke softly. "Why Aneilla, why must you torment him so? Hasn't he suffered enough?"

But he didn't receive and answer and he had a feeling that he never will.


End file.
